Universidade do Porto – CIIMAR (Portugal)
UP – CIIMAR –– is a leading research and advanced training institution of the University of Porto, working on the frontier of knowledge and innovation. The centre develops transdisciplinar and transnational research, promotes technological development, and supports public policies and governance in Marine and Environmental Sciences. CIIMAR fields of expertise cover three research domains: GLOBAL CHANGES AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, AQUACULTURE AND SEAFOOD QUALITY, and MARINE BIOTECHNOLOGY, addressing important economic and societal challenges. Hosting 10 research groups (with 165 PhD researchers) that cover a wide range of scientific expertise and share a common vision: “Contribute to the Knowledge of the Ocean and coastal areas as a basis for the sustainable management and exploitation of resources”.
The centre has been actively involved in the integration and development of Marine and Environmental Sciences participating in relevant European and global knowledge and innovation networks (e.g. MARBEF, EUROMARINE, EPBRS, EATIP); it is a member of the European Marine Board. At the national level, CIIMAR is an active member of two relevant actors in the Marine Economy sector: the National Maritime Cluster – Forum Mar, awarded the Bronze Label of the European Cluster Excellence Initiative; and the BLUEBIOALIANCE, a network of research centres, industry and other stakeholders with significant interests in the valorisation of marine bioresources.
With its headquarters at the heart of the maritime industry and services in the Northern region of Portugal (Leixões Harbour), the centre features well equipped facilities for research, training and services, with state-of-the-art equipped laboratories and large cultivation and animal experimental facilities approved by the Portuguese Veterinary Authority. With branches in Lisbon and the Madeira and Azores Archipelagos, the centre is in a unique position to promote research and innovation in the Atlantic Area. CIIMAR further integrates two research infrastructures of national and European relevance: the European Marine Biological Resource Centre – Portugal (EMBRC.PT) and the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory (EMSO).
Partners / Researchers
Isabel Sousa Pinto
PhD in Marine Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara (1994) working on eco-physiology, cultivation and agar production of the red seaweed Gelidium robustum. Professor at the University of Porto; Director of the Coastal Biodiversity Research Lab, working for more than 20 year on seaweed biology, eco-physiology, cultivation and use. She led or participated in more than 50 research projects (50% European or international) and is in the Steering/Executive Committees of several European and international programs as H2020 GENIALG, Eklipse, AtlantOS, Seachange, EUROMARINE, GEO BON/MBON and others.
Founder of the Portuguese Association for Applied Algology (1995). Has published more than 160 papers and book chapters on biodiversity, ecology and cultivation and use of seaweeds. Member of the ICES Working Group Resilience and Marine Ecosystem Services, Former (until 2018) Portuguese representative for the UN IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and actual member of its Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP).
Gonçalo Silva Marinho
The Researcher received his PhD from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 2016. His research has been focused on the sustainable production of seaweeds through the development of optimized hatchery and cultivation methods, the bioconversion of waste nutrients into valuable seaweed biomass, and the valorisation of seaweed biomass to provide food, feed, and bio-based products aiming for a more sustainable, circular economy.
He has participated in several R&D projects since 2011, published 13 research papers in international peer-reviewed journals, gave numerous oral and poster presentations at international scientific meetings, and supervised several MSc dissertations and BSc projects. Additionally, he has acted both as a teaching assistant and lecturer in master-level courses offered at DTU.
