Secretary of State for the Sea announces Blue Biotechnology Innovation Voucher
During Blue Wink-E 2024: Choose Blue, Live Green, organized by B2E CoLAB
The Portuguese government will launch the Blue Biotechnology Innovation Voucher for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) by the end of the year. The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for the Sea, Lídia Bulcão, during the closing session of Blue Wink-E 2024, underlining the strategic importance of blue biotechnology for Portugal, along with other emerging areas of the blue economy, and highlighting the role of B2E CoLAB in making this vision a reality.
“We are working to launch the Blue Biotechnology Innovation Voucher very soon, hopefully by the end of this year. This measure will support entrepreneurial and innovative initiatives by SMEs in the area of blue biotechnology, namely through the acquisition of innovation consultancy services, technological assistance, or the protection of intellectual property rights, to boost their affirmation in the market,” she added. Lídia Bulcão stressed that the Innovation Voucher for Blue Biotechnology “will stimulate this sub-sector of the blue economy, a factor that is as crucial to the competitiveness and internationalization of companies as knowledge transfer”
“Entities like B2E CoLAB bring innovation and knowledge to the aquaculture, marine biotechnology and living marine resources sub-sectors on a daily basis.”
Blue biotechnology is a fast-growing area, with applications ranging from cosmetics to biomaterials, responding to a global demand for sustainable products. For Portugal, this sector opens doors to lead innovation in Europe, promoting responsible use of marine resources. “This government can’t dissociate the sustainable dimension from the economic dimension when we talk about the blue economy,” she noted.
Lídia Bulcão also highlighted the importance of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact, a mobilizing agenda for business innovation co-financed by the PRR, which represents an investment of 133 million euros. This pact, of which B2E CoLAB is an integral part, “represents the diversity of the Portuguese blue economy and the collaborative work needed to promote and qualify this very important subsector”.
“It’s entities like B2E CoLAB that bring innovation and knowledge to the aquaculture, marine biotechnology, and living marine resources sub-sectors daily,” said the Secretary of the Sea, adding that events like Blue Wink-E are fundamental for bringing the ecosystem together, stimulating innovation and promoting the exchange of experiences and creativity.
The event Blue Wink-E 2024: “Choose Blue, Live Green”, promoted and organized by B2E CoLAB, brought together experts, entrepreneurs, and leaders from various sectors, reinforcing the importance of developing effective strategies to highlight the value and potential of marine products, both in environmental and economic terms.
