The Center for Marine Sciences (CCMAR) of the University of Algarve has officially, since this Monday, the national node of the European Marine Biological Resources Laboratory (EMBRC). Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, who presided over the inauguration, considers that this aspect "puts the University of the Algarve on the map of major research institutions in the marine area" and can "attract national and foreign companies to the region" .
According to the minister Manuel Heitor, the European network in which CCMAR is now included “will facilitate and stimulate the attraction of companies to work on the edge of the University of Algarve, which will certainly be employment centers”.
For the official, in addition to «a scientific recognition of what has been done here [at CCMAR] in the last 2nd years, the first impact I expect is the dignification of scientific employment associated with the European network, which will facilitate the hiring and mobility of researchers ».
The mobility of researchers will be one of the doors that will open with this EMBRC at the University of Algarve, but there are more benefits, from the outset investment, since only for CCMAR, through community funds, 8 million euros will come, as he explained to the journalists Adelino Canário, director of the center.
«We are going to have state-of-the-art equipment here that will allow, for example, the identification of some molecules and also better monitor the ocean», said the professor at the University of Algarve.
In addition to investment, there is “a moment that is coming when this center is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium, by the European Commission, which gives certain benefits in terms of taxes and so on. This marks the beginning of the official activity» of the EMBRC.
Although this official activity has not yet started, «currently, projects are being developed. We will soon sign a contract for a 10 million project, at the level of the European consortium, to facilitate the mobility of researchers to use these infrastructures. We will open competitions for researchers to submit projects, which, if approved, allow researchers to go to the infrastructure of their choice, with paid travel, paid accommodation, and will do the research they need. The role of these sites is to receive investigators. We give the conditions and the European Commission finances the travel and accommodation».
The EMBRC, European Laboratory for Marine Biological Resources, based in Paris, is a research infrastructure dedicated to the exploration and conservation of marine resources and the environment, which responds to research needs in the marine sciences in Europe.
EMBRC Portugal is coordinated by CCMar of the University of Algarve, having as partners the ACOI of the University of Coimbra, the CIIMAR of the University of Porto and the IMAR of the University of the Azores.
See the inauguration photos:
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