2023-2025

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Portuguese Blue Biobank is one of the major projects of the Innovation Pact – known as the Blue Bioeconomy Pact – a consortium led by Inovamar, Lda, which embraces the challenge of strengthening and reindustrializing Portuguese industries associated with the exploitation of marine resources. The project is part of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact as a transversal Work Package (WP9).

In the project, NOVA Ocean had the task of preparing a piece of legislation to regulate the activity of marine bioprospecting and the use of resources collected and developed from samples, as well as the use of samples already collected and stored and their development.

OBJECTIVES

To create a draft legislation that:

  • Ensures legal clarity and transparency for accessing and using marine biological resources,

  • Protects Portugal’s marine biodiversity,

  • Complies with international obligations, including the Nagoya Protocol,

  • Stimulates blue biotechnology investment and innovation, and

  • Promotes fair and equitable benefit-sharing.

TEAM

  • Assunção Cristas, project coordinator;
  • Manuela Bocayuva, project manager;
  • Aline Bratti and Vittoria Moccia, researchers.

PHASES OF THE PROJECT

  • PHASE 1: Comparative Legal Analysis
    Review of international, European, and national legislation from countries including Portugal, France, Spain, Norway, Australia, South Korea, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and South Africa.

  • PHASE 2: Draft of the Legal Instrument
    Stakeholder consultations and preparation of a draft legal diploma establishing the regulatory framework for the access and use of marine biological resources.

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