Already Happened
NOVA Ocean at the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference
In June 2025, NOVA Ocean had the honor of organizing a dedicated side event at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 2025), held in Nice, France. Our session—“Empowering Women in the Blue Economy: Bridging Research, Policy and Action”—was hosted at the Green Zone’s #ForCoral Pavilion and brought together voices from academia, civil society, and international organizations.
At the heart of the event was the official launch of our new publication,
Women in the Blue Economy: An Empirical Analysis, a comprehensive report exploring the roles, challenges, and economic contributions of women in the fisheries and shipping sectors across Portugal, Cape Verde, and Japan.
The launch sparked lively discussion around the intersection of gender, law, and ocean governance, and highlighted how grounded, empirical research can inform inclusive and actionable policy. The report offers not only evidence-based insights but also a forward-looking framework for integrating gender equality into the future of the blue economy.
But UNOCS was also special for another reason—it became a space of reconnection and pride. We were thrilled to meet several current and former students of the Master’s in Law and Economics of the Sea from NOVA School of Law. Seeing our alumni actively involved in ocean sustainability efforts across different sectors and organizations reaffirmed the impact of interdisciplinary education in shaping the next generation of ocean leaders.
We left Nice inspired by new ideas, renewed partnerships, and a deep sense of community among those working toward a more sustainable, equitable ocean future.
NOVA Ocean Presents Legal Framework at Final Event of the Portuguese Blue Biobank Project
On May 19, 2025, NOVA Ocean participated in the final event of the Portuguese Blue Biobank project, held at the Port of Leixões Cruise Terminal. Under the theme “Portuguese Blue Biobank: Marine Biodiversity and Blue Biotechnology”, the event brought together over 70 researchers and representatives from key national institutions to present project outcomes and chart future directions.
Representing NOVA Ocean, Manuela Bocayuva—project manager and research assistant—presented the center’s main deliverable: a draft legislative proposal regulating the access and use of marine biological resources under national jurisdiction. This legal framework is a key output of the project and contributes directly to ensuring legal certainty, protecting biodiversity, and supporting innovation in Portugal’s emerging blue biotechnology sector.
The event was an opportunity to share results, strengthen collaboration across the national biobank network, and highlight the critical role of marine biological collections for science, conservation, and sustainable industry.
NOVA Ocean is proud to have contributed to this pioneering initiative and congratulates all partners, researchers, and institutions involved in this important national effort.
Promoting Blue Biotechnology in Portugal: NOVA Ocean Event on Legal Framework for Marine Genetic Resources
On December 3, 2024, NOVA Ocean hosted the event “Promoting Blue Biotechnology in Portugal” at NOVA School of Law, presenting the results of the Portuguese Blue Biobank project.
The event featured the launch of a draft legal proposal to regulate access and use of marine genetic resources under national jurisdiction. The proposal aims to ensure legal certainty, protect biodiversity, and promote innovation in blue biotechnology—aligned with international obligations like the Nagoya Protocol.
The event welcomed Dra. Lídia Bulcão, Secretary of State for Maritime Affairs for Portugal, along with distinguished speakers including Professors Assunção Cristas, Pedro Leão, Narcisa Bandarra, Vitor Vasconcelos, and Dr. Tiago Pitta e Cunha.
This milestone marks an important step toward strengthening Portugal’s leadership in sustainable ocean innovation.
United Nations Ocean Conference 2022: Meet the Ocean NOW!
The side-event organised by Universidade NOVA de Lisboa was structured in one plenary session and two workshops. The plenary session aimed to launch the proposal of the Bachelor’s of the Ocean to the public. The new degree is a pioneer degree under preparation in which key terms such as sustainability, global challenges, cutting-edge, international focus, and interdisciplinary, trace the path of its students. The Bachelor’s of the Ocean is based on five pillars that intersect in various areas: Law; Economy and Management; Biology, Engineering and Technology; History, Geopolitics and Culture; Information and Data Systems. The intersection between these areas will provide a fertile environment to identify and create opportunities and solutions allowing to overcome obstacles trough a wide, holistic approach of the Ocean. The Bachelor has the ambition to establish an overall understanding of the opportunities and threats, facing the Ocean at a global level and an entrepreneurial and differentiating positioning at a local level. It engages the participation of eight different faculties of two Portuguese universities, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and University of Algarve. Following the plenary session, two workshops took place, the first one entitled “Maritime Spatial Planning: tool for sustainable and inclusive economic development” in which Professors from Portugal and Norway with different backgrounds, from law, natural sciences and economics fomented a debated. The second workshop focused on “Coastal Management for a sustainable development” and the presentations from Professors from Norway, Edinburgh and Portugal ranged from law to natural sciences.
Blue Economy: um mar de oportunidades para as relações Itália-Portugal
To celebrate the United Nations World Ocean Day 2022, the Italian Embassy in Portugal partnered with the NOVA Ocean Knowledge Centre and promoted the event. Opening the session Embassador Carlo Formosa focused on the Italian efforts to develop its Blue Economy. Followed by the Economy and the Sea Secretary General Dr. João Rolo who concluded that Portugal and Italy have all the needed tools for blue economy growth to become a reality. Dr. Santi Cianci President of the Portuguese-Italian Chamber of Commerce reinforced that Portugal has the scientific knowledge and profissionalism in the field of the Ocean.
Professor Assunção Cristas, followed by stating that the Portuguese Law on maritime spatial planning is key for the protection and conservation of the ecosystems and environment while fomenting blue economy. Then, Professors Ugo Bardi and Ilaria Perissi aruged that it is important to think about the past when it comes to sustainable dynamics. Finally, they reinforced that aquaculture has to be studied from the ecosystems point of view. Consul Duarte Bué Alves started his speech by enhancing how critical the ocean situation is. Briefly explaining the role that oceans play. Concluding with the question “are we doing enough to protect the oceans?”.
The webminar concluded with the CEO of Seawind Portugal, Martin Jabukowski, presenting the benefits and importance of wind farms. While, Gabriele Cavicchi, CEO of Marinco, that presented their products and importance to the naval industry.
2021
Launching NOVA OCEAN Knowledge Centre
Launching NOVA OCEAN Knowledge Centre
To celebrate the United Nations World Ocean Day, NOVA School of Law organized the International Workshop “From Integrated Maritime Policy to International Ocean Governance: the progressive development of EU maritime policies”, an event that was closed by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson.
The event launched NOVA OCEAN, the new knowledge centre of NOVA School of Law, which will operate within CEDIS – Centre for R&D on Law and Society – and will naturally focus on Law, but it was born with a holistic vision and with the interdisciplinary vocation that is in the DNA of our Faculty, contributing to the achievement of major global goals, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life below Water -, in line with the adhesion of NOVA School of Law to the United Nations Global Compact, the Blue Agenda of the European Union and the National Strategy for the Sea 2021-2030.