OUR OCEAN, OUR FUTURE: UNDERSTANDING, PROTECTING & EXPLORING
The ocean offers a variety of services, such as regulating the weather and carbon, providing food and raw materials and offering a wide range of cultural, economic, social and recreational benefits. As a rich source of biodiversity and a comprehensive representation of the tree of life, marine ecosystems provide valuable products for society. Yet, they also need to be protected and sustainably managed, especially in light of climate change and other environmental changes in place.
OUR CHALLENGES
Acknowledging the importance of our ocean and the threats it faces, CCMAR develops research in view of UNDERSTANDING what drives Global Environmental Change, PROTECTING our marine resources through Ocean Management and Conservation and EXPLORING novel Marine Products and Resources.
OUR STRENGTHS
CCMAR's main asset is its vibrant research community: a dynamic and multidisciplinary group of over 200 highly skilled and motivated people. Our Challenges are systematically tamed by the research groups, working together under inspiring group leaders, most of which are also Professors at the University of the Algarve. All our researchers are supported by a well established team of technical and administrative staff and make excellent use of the research resources available at CCMAR - from well-equipped labs to tailored experimental facilities and scientific dive centre. Last but not least, our research community integrates students of different levels - from undergraduates to PhD candidates - who constitute a major driving force behind our scientific output.
OUR OUTPUTS
Our research projects constitute the building blocks on which most of our research is developed. These projects enable our researchers to publish over 200 peer-reviewed articles every year and to promote scientific activities that range from small project meetings to big international conferences. Our research contributes to pushing the boundaries of knowledge and produces outputs for different publics, as reflected in 'Our Activities'.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Scientific research is the main core activity and the essence of CCMAR as an institution. It is also the motor that pushes forward our other four core activities:
Training
Our Scientific Seminars are powered by the many people engaged in research at CCMAR (from in-house researchers to visitors and partners) and our Advanced Technologies and Training are organised (and often taught) by our researchers. While CCMAR does not award academic degrees, we integrate many PhD candidates into our research groups where they develop their research path. To elevate their PhD experience, we have created the CCMAR Doctoral School, to which the whole research community contributes.
Business
CCMAR research enables Science-2-Business interactions, as much of it has high technology readiness levels (TRLs), meaning that they have produced technologies that are at or close to the point of being transferred to industry. This translates into several patents, spin-offs and business collaborations, along with the provision of scientific services to business and industry.
Society
Societal challenges are deeply engrained in our mission. Whether by producing basic knowledge or by developing applied products and technologies, our research ultimately aims to serve society. Our researchers therefore engage in specific interactions with and for society, which include delivering policy advice, raising environmental awareness, promoting ocean literacy and engaging society into citizen science initiatives.
Collaboration
CCMAR is connected with the world through multiple national and international partnerships. From the ice-cold Antarctic waters to the warm tropical coral reefs, we develop research in collaboration with researchers and institutions from all over the world. We believe that optimising scientific resources and working collaborative is key to the advancement of marine sciences, which is why we embrace and strongly support several European research infrastructures and initiatives.
OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
To put our projects in place, we access different sources of funding and establish a wide variety of partners. Public agencies such as the Portuguese Science Foundation and the European Commission are our main funding donors (68%) but we also receive funding from companies, universities, other research centres, private not for profit organisations and single persons.
