The Blue Wink-E 2023 Conference, organized by B2E CoLAB, under the theme “How to Finance the Blue Bioeconomy,” will feature several important figures from the national scene. The conference will include a keynote speaker, Member of the European Parliament, Carlos Zorrinho. Two roundtables will also be held. The first, on “Financial Innovation: Instruments and Strategies,” will feature Filipe Grilo from Porto Business School, Ruben Eiras from Fórum Oceano, and João Pereira from Portugal Ventures. The second, on “Financing Challenges and Opportunities: Practical Cases,” will include Hermano Rodrigues from Ernst & Young, Tânia Ferreira from Sea4us, and the Oceano Azul Foundation. Registration for the conference, on November 30th at the Infante D. Henrique Auditorium in Matosinhos, can be done here.

Carlos Zorrinho

Member of the European Parliament
Carlos Zorrinho is married and the father of two children. He holds a PhD in Information Management and is a Full Professor in the Department of Management at the University of Évora. Since 2014, he has served as a Member of the European Parliament, where he is currently a full member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and an alternate member of the Committee on Development (DEVE), within which he is the Permanent Rapporteur of the European Parliament on Humanitarian Aid. In addition, he holds the position of Chair of the Delegation to the Joint Parliamentary Assembly Africa, Caribbean, Pacific/European Union (APP ACP/EU). Until April 2022, Carlos Zorrinho held the position of Chair of the Portuguese Socialist Delegation to the European Parliament. Throughout his career, he has held various positions in both academia and government, including Secretary of State for Energy and Innovation and Member of Parliament in several legislatures.

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Nuno Mangas
Compete 2030
Nuno Mangas is the president of Compete 2030. From 2018 to 2020, he was president of the board of directors of IAPMEI — Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, I.P., leading investments in innovation and business competitiveness. He represented IAPMEI in entities such as PME Investimentos and AICEP Global Parques, contributing to economic development. In addition, he acted as an SME Envoy, representing Portugal, and actively participated in bodies related to Higher Education, notably as president of CCISP — Coordinating Council of Higher Polytechnic Institutes.

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João Pereira
Portugal Ventures
João Pereira is the Investment Director of Portugal Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in the early-stage phases of Portuguese start-ups with global ambitions. Based in Porto, he has 20 years of accumulated experience in venture capital investment, having managed programs and funds such as Finicia, Actec, and Call for Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Portuguese scientific and technological ecosystem.

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Hermano Rodrigues
Ernst & Young
Hermano Rodrigues is currently a Principal at EY-Parthenon. He was associated with the consulting firm Augusto Mateus & Associados (AM&A) between 2003 and 2017, first as a consultant and then as a partner. He was a founding partner of Sigma Team Consulting in 2001. He has extensive experience in academia, with past connections to several universities in the Northern region of Portugal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Economics (Economic Policy). He has a vast curriculum in meso and microeconomic studies on competitiveness, innovation, internationalization, and the sustainability of companies and industries, as well as on the theme of collective business efficiency associated with clustering processes and upgrading of global value chains.

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Tânia Ferreira
Sea4Us
Tânia is the Business and Innovation Manager at Sea4Us, a biotechnology company specializing in the development of new treatments for unmet clinical needs using marine resources. The company is based in Sagres, where it carries out prospecting and identification activities for new compounds. It also has a laboratory in Lisbon, where pharmacological development activities and pre-clinical trials take place.

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Ruben Eiras
Fórum Oceano
Ruben Eiras is currently the Secretary General of the Ocean Forum. He was the Coordinator of Blue Economy, Innovation, Investment and Financing at the Ocean Forum. He was a mentor for the Ocean Stream start-up program at the Creative Lab, based in Canada, as well as a mentor for the Sustainable Ocean Accelerator and a coach for the European Commission’s Blue Invest Platform. He was Director-General of Maritime Policy at the Portuguese Ministry of the Sea, promoting an innovative and sustainable blue economy, and Advisor for Industry, Innovation and Energy to the Portuguese Minister of the Sea.

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Filipe Grilo
Porto Business School
Filipe Grilo holds a PhD in Economics from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto, specializing in Financial Crises. He is a professor of Economics and a consultant at Porto Business School. He co-founded Watson & Noble, heading the Simulation and Forecasting department. Currently, he has a regular presence in the media analyzing current economic affairs.

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FULL PROGRAM:

9:00 AM: Welcome Session

António Isidoro, Vice-presidente do B2E CoLAB

9:30 AM: “Financial Innovation: Instruments and Strategies”

Filipe Grilo, Porto Business School

Ruben Eiras, Fórum Oceano

João Pereira, Portugal Ventures

10:30 AM: “How to Finance the Blue Bioeconomy”

Carlos Zorrinho, Member of the European Parliament

10:50 AM: Pitches from Blue Bioeconomy Startups

11:15 AM: Coffee Break

11:45 AM: “Funding Challenges and Opportunities: Practical Cases”

Nuno Mangas, Compete 2030

Hermano Rodrigues, Ernst & Young

Tânia Ferreira, Sea4us

12:45 PM: Closing Session

Marta Pontes, Councillor for Economic Activities of the Municipal Council of Matosinhos

Parallel Activities:

Blue Connect
A space where companies in the blue bioeconomy sector have the opportunity to present their services, projects, and expertise in more detail. This session aims to foster networking, potential business opportunities, and strategic collaborations among participants. Companies will have the opportunity to set up exhibition tables to showcase their products, services, and innovative solutions related to the blue bioeconomy.