The Hub Azul Portugal platform, promoted by Fórum Oceano, has been officially mentioned as a source of reference in the European Commission’s Blue Economy Report 2024, marking a significant milestone for Portugal’s position within the European blue economy landscape. The report highlights the role of the Hub Azul Dealroom, a digital tool developed to map and monitor innovation, investment, and employment trends in the ocean economy, with particular emphasis on the rapidly growing blue biotechnology sector.

According to the report, Hub Azul Portugal is emerging as a key player in providing data and insights that support informed decision-making in policy, investment, and business development. This recognition reinforces the value of platforms that integrate economic intelligence with strategic connections across the sector.

The Blue Economy Report 2024 includes data sourced from Hub Azul, which reveals a dynamic and expanding ecosystem: in 2023, the blue biotechnology sector in Europe accounted for 163 registered startups and scale-ups, generated an estimated €1.1 billion in economic value, and employed nearly 4,000 professionals, primarily within small and emerging companies. These figures underscore the sector’s importance as a driver of innovation, sustainability, and competitiveness.

For Fórum Oceano, this acknowledgment reflects not only the impact of the Hub Azul initiative but also the strategic commitment of Portugal to strengthen its leadership in ocean-based industries. By bridging the gap between science, business, and investment, Hub Azul is contributing to the transformation of the blue economy into a pillar of sustainable growth at both national and European levels.

The full Blue Economy Report 2024 is available via the European Commission, and the Hub Azul Dealroom remains open to all stakeholders seeking to explore the evolving opportunities within the blue economy.

As part of the Festival do Mar 2025 (FESTIMAR), Hub Azul Portugal was present at the 3rd RS Blue Economy Development Forum in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, with the keynote lecture: ‘Blue Bioeconomy: Overcoming Challenges and Seizing Opportunities for a More Blue Future’.

The session was led by Sérgio Leandro, Director of the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria and coordinator of Smart Ocean Peniche / Hub Azul Peniche, part of the Hub Azul Portugal Network, who emphasised the importance of the Blue Bioeconomy as a strategic pillar for the sustainable development of marine resources.

Watch the lecture in full: Palestra de Abertura do Dia 1 com Sérgio Miguel Leandro

The eight Calls for Proposals from the Blue Fund have been published for the hubs to be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with a total allocation of €84 million, to be completed by the end of 2025. The beneficiaries will establish innovation and industrialization hubs in Lisbon, Oeiras, Peniche, Aveiro, Porto Matosinhos (I and II), Algarve, and a new concept of Hub Blue School, encompassing educational institutions in mainland Portugal and the islands.

According to the Minister of the Sea, Ricardo Serrão Santos, the goal is to create a network platform to stimulate the blue bioeconomy and other emerging areas of the marine economy, integrating new SMEs, startups, and large companies. The government aims to foster knowledge and technology transfer between companies, academia, municipalities, and other stakeholders, with activities focusing on ocean renewable energy, offshore aquaculture, robotics, submarine cables, and the blue bioeconomy.

The Hub Azul will include infrastructures on land and at sea, with access to marine monitoring equipment and research vessel hours. The strategy was reinforced by Decree-Law No. 123/2021 and Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 182/2021, which expands the Port Tech Clusters Network to include the blue bioeconomy.

News published based on the original news from Portugal.gov.pt: Publicação de Avisos Convite para investimento na economia do Mar no âmbito do PRR – XXII Governo – República Portuguesa (portugal.gov.pt)

The data comes from Hub Azul Dealroom, which brings together 1,210 global startups in the blue economy (47 from Portugal). Most of the value is concentrated in the areas of robotics, shipping, climate technology, clean energy, and energy efficiency.

Bluetech (tech startups linked to the sea) and Blue Economy (startups linked to the blue economy) startups are valued at €92.8 billion worldwide, according to data provided exclusively to Jornal Económico by Hub Azul, based on the Hub Azul Dealroom platform, which currently lists 1,210 global blue economy startups (47 Portuguese). Portugal has ‘great potential in this area’ and the capacity to generate ‘great added value’ despite having an ‘embryonic ecosystem’, according to the coordinator of Hub Azul Portugal, Gonçalo Faria.

Of this total of €92.8 billion, 63.8%, equivalent to €59.5 billion, is concentrated in the areas of robotics, shipping, climate technology, clean energy and energy efficiency.

‘11.3% are classified as robotics, 13.4% are classified as shipping, 31.5% are classified as climate technology, and 7.6% are classified as clean energy or energy efficiency,’ according to Hub Azul data.

The coordinator of the Hub Azul Portugal project, Gonçalo Faria, believes that the value contributed by these companies, which are global trends, serves as a ‘benchmark’ for Portugal to guide its strategy.

“The analysis of these trends gives us very relevant information about the path we should follow in terms of research, but also in terms of innovation, with the development of new products and new solutions. It allows us to understand which areas international investors are most interested in, which areas are receiving the most investment, meaning greater capacity to attract international investment,” Gonçalo Faria told Jornal Económico.

The coordinator of Hub Azul Portugal stresses that Portugal ‘has enormous potential in these areas.’ However, according to data from Hub Azul Dealroom, a platform created as part of the Hub Azul Portugal project, which brings together investment funds and international start-ups and connects them to anchor companies in the Portuguese ecosystem, ‘there is still a lot of work to be done.’

Gonçalo Faria points out that of the 47 Portuguese startups registered with Hub Azul Dealroom, “representing 3.8% of the total, eight have a registered valuation of €194 million, equivalent to 0.2% of the total valuation of the sample.

The coordinator of Hub Azul Portugal adds that Tekever alone accounts for €125 million of the valuation, or 64% of the total.

“Even so, it is interesting to note that of the eight start-ups [with a registered valuation of €194 million] (Tekever, Inclita Seaweed Solutions, Oceano Fresco, Cargofive, Meight, Sensefinity, Exogenus Therapeutics and Bitcliq), four work on process digitalisation (Bitcliq, Sensefinity, Meight and CargoFIve) and one works mainly on ocean sensing and observation (Tekever),” says Gonçalo Faria.

Portugal has high added value potential

For Gonçalo Faria, Portugal has an ‘embryonic ecosystem’ that has ‘high potential’ for added value.

Gonçalo Faria stresses that one of the tasks of Hub Azul Portugal is to ‘develop mechanisms’ that seek, through the seven hubs that will be created in mainland Portugal, ‘to take advantage of the excellent research being done in Portugal, in these and other areas, to create new companies, products and solutions that meet the trends and needs of international markets.’

The coordinator of Hub Azul Portugal believes that the country is facing an ‘opportunity’ and stresses the importance of the Hub Azul Dealroom platform, given that it ‘provides highly relevant economic intelligence information to align research and innovation with international investment trends’.

Acquaculture and shipping gain ground

Globally, the data also shows that 82.5% of the valuation [€92.8 billion] of Bluetech and Blue Economy startups in the robotics category were created after 2015.

“This figure is approximately 20% for aquaculture and 29.6% for shipping,” according to data from Hub Azul Dealroom.

Bluetech and Blue Economy startups in the offshore area reach €1.8 billion.

“45% of this valuation relates to companies created after 2015. This classification includes infrastructure, maintenance, monitoring, digitization, and other technologies,” explains Hub Azul.

In the offshore wind sector, this figure stood at €1.7 billion, with 33% relating to startups created after 2015.

Offshore wind sector achieves highest growth

Bluetech and Blue Economy startups linked to offshore wind have experienced remarkable growth.

Data from Hub Azul Dealroom confirms a 102% increase between 2021 and 2022. Robotics is also following the trend with 65% growth.

Bluetech and Blue Economy startups in the seaweed sector increased by 40% when comparing 2022 with the first nine months of 2023.

Larger investments are concentrated in robotics and shipping

Investment in Bluetech and Blue Economy startups in the field of robotics amounted to €1.5 billion, reaching growth of close to 200% compared to 2021.

“This figure was greatly influenced by Flexport’s $934 million (€883 million) Series E in February 2022,” explains Hub Azul.

Investment in 2022 in Bluetech and Blue Economy startups and in the offshore sector amounted to €145 million, up 76% compared to 2021.

Comparing 2022 with the first nine months of 2023, investment in this area stood at €198 million, “heavily influenced by an August 2023 transaction of £150 million (€172 million) in growth equity from Venterra, a company operating in the floating offshore wind industry, by Beyond Net Zero,” Hub Azul points out.

Investment in 2022 in Bluetech and Blue Economy startups in the aquaculture sector reached €233 million, an increase of approximately 6% compared to 2021.

“Comparing 2022 with the first nine months of 2023, only two rounds above series B were made, both for EFishery, in May and July,” says Hub Azul.

In its analysis of this data, Hub Azul points out that in the most scalable industries, such as robotics and shipping, “we have seen the emergence of late VC operations with high amounts, marking a separation from the traditional domain of seeds and series A.”

Hub Azul emphasizes that climate technologies dominate the total valuation, with approximately one-third, “perhaps because it is well identified as a sustainable investment potential.”

The Hub Azul Dealroom platform is part of the Hub Azul Portugal project, funded by the European Commission under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR). Fórum Oceano is responsible for creating the global business model for Hub Azul, in conjunction with its Strategic Management Council, chaired by the Directorate-General for Maritime Policy.

The Fórum Oceano – managing entity of Portugal’s Blue Economy Cluster – and The Economist Group’s World Ocean Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote, through the Hub Azul Dealroom digital platform (https://hubazuldealroom. forumoceano.pt/intro), an ecosystem in the sustainable Blue Economy that promotes innovation and investment globally.

The purpose of this MoU is to express the commitment of both parties to identify and support opportunities that contribute to the development of a sustainable blue economy. This knowledge partnership represents a significant step towards addressing the most pressing challenges facing the oceans through collaborative efforts.

The Hub Azul Dealroom is the first digital platform designed to quickly map Blue Economy business information and match startups, SMEs and investors. Dealroom already has more than 1,200 start-ups registered (with more than 1,800 investment rounds), around 2,600 investors and more than 120 large companies. The platform’s website also reveals that 1,631 financing rounds have already been completed.

As a Knowledge Partner, the World Ocean Initiative (WOI) will collaborate with Fórum Oceano in developing and promoting the Hub Azul Dealroom digital platform. This initiative, managed by Fórum Oceano and funded by EU Next Generation – Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan, serves as a cornerstone for fostering ESG investment in building a business model for Portugal’s Blue Economy Cluster and the Hub Azul.

WOI will also provide advisory support, without financial commitments, for the development of the Hub Azul network, including advice on business missions, activities such as events and programmes, refinement of the business model and establishment of new relevant relationships. The Ocean Forum, in turn, will support WOI’s efforts to transition to a sustainable blue economy. The next Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit returns to Lisbon in March 2024.

Ruben Eiras, Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano: “This MoU marks a crucial moment in collective efforts to provide better information, content and intelligence for entrepreneurs and investors who are focused on promoting a true blue ESG economy. By joining forces with WOI, from The Economist Impact, we aim to unlock new opportunities and establish a global benchmark for innovative solutions across all sectors of the blue economy, establishing business models that are both profitable and generate an “environmental surplus” for ocean ecosystems.”.

Tatiana Der Avedissian, Head of Business Development at The Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative (WOI): “WOI has been advocating for the need to bridge the investment gap in ocean innovation through the annual World Ocean Summit and the 2022 World Ocean Tech and Innovation Summit. We believe this is a crucial factor in accelerating the transition to a sustainable blue economy. The Blue Dealroom Hub is a great initiative that will support this goal, and we are happy to support this effort as a Knowledge Partner.”.

This collaboration between Fórum Oceano and WOI represents a shared commitment to driving positive change in the global blue economy and sets the tone for innovative and sustainable practices that aim to shape the future of our oceans.

The Government has brought forward to 2026 the target of creating 30% marine protected areas, initially planned for 2030, the Prime Minister announced on Wednesday, stating that Portugal intends to maintain a ‘pivotal position in the blue economy’. These announcements were made by António Costa at the Sustainable Blue Economy Investment Forum, which is taking place this Wednesday at the Estoril Congress Centre in Lisbon and aims to ‘discuss economic growth driven by the ocean economy’. In the area of renewable energy, António Costa said that Portugal has the ambition to ‘achieve an installed offshore wind energy production capacity of ten gigawatts by 2030’. Alongside these announcements, António Costa stressed that Portugal is ‘strongly committed to the decarbonisation of maritime transport’ and ‘continues to actively invest in infrastructure for the blue economy’, noting that the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) includes an ‘€87 million financing plan for the creation of the Blue Hub’ Portugal, ‘a network of research and development centres and universities focused on marine science, technology and innovation’. According to the Prime Minister, this hub will ‘double the number of start-ups operating in Portugal in the blue economy, as well as the number of projects supported by public funds’.

Costa emphasised that Portugal wants to be ‘a European centre of excellence in the field of blue biotechnology, attracting investment and know-how from around the world to develop cutting-edge science and generate new market value.’ The International Centre for Blue Biotechnology is being created on the site of the former Matosinhos refinery.

The head of the executive said that ‘for few countries is the sea as fundamental as it is for Portugal’ and stressed that, at the national level, ‘the bioeconomy and blue biotechnology already play a key role’. But the potential for growth is enormous and, in this sense, Portugal has integrated its maritime policy, organised its maritime space and promoted ocean renewable energy in order to create all the conditions to be at the forefront of the blue economy,” he stressed.

News published in the Público newspaper: https://www.publico.pt/2023/10/04/azul/noticia/governo-antecipa-criacao-30-areas-marinhas-protegidas-2026-2065632

The Strategic Management Council of the ‘Blue Hub, Infrastructure Network for the Blue Economy’ met today in Porto to discuss a governance model that promotes synergies between SMEs and start-ups, large companies, interface centres and universities. The Secretary of State for the Sea, José Maria Costa, participated in the proceedings.

These synergies are crucial to the success of the strategy to expand and promote traditional and emerging sectors of the blue economy and will enable us to benefit from the opportunities arising from the climate and digital transitions, which are fundamental to increasing the international profile of this economic sector in Portugal.

At this meeting, particular attention was also given to the organisation of the second edition of the Sustainable Blue Economy Investment Forum (SBEIF), which will take place on 4 October at the Estoril Congress Centre, with the aim of boosting the international profile of the national blue economy, a key factor in attracting new companies and foreign direct investment.

News published on the official website of the XXIII Constitutional Government – Portuguese Republic (Portugal.gov.pt): https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc23/comunicacao/comunicado?i=conselho-de-gestao-estrategica-do-hub-azul-aposta-na-projecao-internacional

The public tender for the new Leixões Blue Hub is now open. €4.9 million is available for its construction, and interested companies have 90 days to submit their bids.

The Blue Hub is a scientific, technological and innovation infrastructure that aims to develop the blue economy.

The new Leixões Blue Hub includes the construction of a multi-purpose central tank, with a completion deadline of 365 days. The contracting authority is the Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science (INESC TEC), as leader of the Leixões Blue Hub consortium.

The specifications stipulate that the work will be carried out at the Port of Leixões Logistics Platform, with a completion deadline of the end of 2025.

In addition to INESC TEC, the Leixões Blue Hub brings together other entities such as: the Port Authority of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL), the Matosinhos City Council, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), the Institute for Science and Innovation in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (INEGI) and the Ocean Forum.

News published in Jornal Económico: https://jornaleconomico.pt/noticias/aberto-concurso-para-novo-hub-azul-de-leixoes-no-valor-de-49-milhoes-de-euros/

The Infante D. Henrique Nautical College (ENIDH) has launched an international public tender for the contract to design and build the International Maritime Safety Centre.

The tender announcement has already been published in the Diário da República, the OJEU and on the VORTAL platform, with a base price of three million two hundred and fifty thousand euros, plus VAT, financed 100% by funds from the PRR, Blue Hub School programme.

The International Maritime Safety Centre (CISM) will be an infrastructure for practical training courses in accordance with the STCW Convention (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) and its Code, which establishes the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, namely in Chapter 6 – Emergency duties, safety at work, protection, medical assistance and survival.

CISM will also be an infrastructure for practical training courses in accordance with the STCW-F Convention (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel), with regard to practical maritime safety training for all fishing vessel crew members.

CISM equipment will be certified in accordance with the requirements of the IMO Fire Safety System Code and Life-Saving Appliances Code, so that certified equipment, such as that used on ships, can be used.

In addition to the training mentioned above, the CISM must also ensure the possibility of training in the applicable areas, in the context of working at height, as well as in sealing leaks and flooding.

More information at:

– Escola Superior Náutica Infante D. Henrique

– Recuperar Portugal

Hub Azul Peniche has just announced the launch of the specifications for the construction of the building that will house the headquarters of ‘Smart Ocean Open Labs’ within the port area.

The building will have 12 laboratories and 13 offices and is part of the Smart Ocean Marine Science and Technology Park, which is Hub Azul’s hub in Peniche.

Under the theme ‘for a blue future’, it will be the basis of an ecosystem where science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship will come together to create a sea of new ideas, new solutions and new opportunities for a blue future.

Know more here