CIIMAR celebrates 25 years with the “New Horizons” conference

The conference celebrates the scientific achievements of the research centre and looks to the future by bringing together the scientific community in a debate on major global challenges and the role of marine and environmental sciences in a sustainable future.

“New Horizons” is the theme for the conference celebrating 25 years of knowledge and innovation in marine and environmental sciences at CIIMAR. Rather than looking back at the past, the conference proposes a critical look at the present and a strategic vision for the future, with a focus on the sustainability of the planet as a whole.

‘This is an event that reinforces CIIMAR's role as a centre of scientific excellence with national impact and global projection at a time when the planet, and therefore society, is facing unprecedented pressures that require integrated, collaborative and sustained responses based on the best that science has to offer,’ explains Joana Xavier, CIIMAR researcher and conference commissioner. "

With an ambitious programme and a curated selection of leading national and international speakers, the ‘New Horizons’ conference aims to build a projection of the future paths of marine research, ocean sustainability and the integration of public policies for the management of its resources and the sustainability of the blue bioeconomy. The initiative positions itself as a meeting point between generations of scientists, policy makers, business leaders and civil society actors, taking current knowledge as the central axis of environmental, economic and social transformation.

The main themes of the conference will focus on topics such as the future of the deep sea, mitigating the effects of global change on aquaculture, a look at the history of use of marine resources marked in DNA, a look at the current challenges facing marine sciences, and the role of collaborative networks in public policies for the ocean.

Guests and target audience

The conference is primarily aimed at CIIMAR members, but invites members of the scientific community, government, academia, industry, and civil society to a high-level meeting that aims to create synergies and inspire new directions for looking at the ocean and the environment.

International guests include Alex Rogers from the National Oceanography Centre in the United Kingdom, Anya Waite, Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute in Canada, and Fiona Grant, President of the European Marine Board.

The conference will also be attended by national guests such as Vítor Vasconcelos, Director of CIIMAR, Salvador Malheiro, Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea, and Assunção Cristas, university professor and former Minister of Agriculture and the Sea, and Telmo Carvalho, Deputy Coordinator of the Portuguese National Committee for the Decade of the Oceans, Portugal — all of whom play key roles in the dialogue between science, politics and society.

The New Horizons Conference will take place on 8 September 2025 at the Port of Leixões Cruise Terminal in Matosinhos, between 9:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Programme

09:00 Reception

09:30-10:15 Opening session – welcome speeches

● Joana Xavier, Commissioner for the 25th Anniversary of CIIMAR, Portugal

● Vítor Vasconcelos, Director of CIIMAR, Portugal

● Pedro Rodrigues, Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation at the University of Porto, Portugal

● Salvador Malheiro, Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Sea, Portugal

10:15-11:00 Roots of Knowledge: a 25-year journey | moderated by Filipe Castro

● Vítor Vasconcelos, Director of CIIMAR, Portugal

● Emídio Gomes, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal

● Assunção Cristas, Professor at the Faculty of Law of NOVA, Portugal

● João Coimbra, Professor Emeritus and founding member of CIIMAR, Portugal

11:00-11:30 Coffee break

11:30-13:00 Science for society: transforming the present | moderated by Pedro Leão

● Illuminating the abyss: gathering knowledge to understand, protect and restore the deep ocean – Alex Rogers, Deputy Director of Strategic Science Programmes and Partnerships, National Oceanography Centre, United Kingdom

● New tools to prevent and mitigate the effects of climate change on aquaculture – Benjamin Costas, Principal Investigator at CIIMAR, Portugal

● Ancient DNA: revealing the history of marine resource exploitation – Paula Campos, Principal Investigator at CIIMAR, Portugal

● Scaling up ocean science: from spin-off to global impact – Helena Amaro, R&D Laboratory Manager at Ínclita Seaweed Solutions

● Unravelling microbial chemistry to address global challenges – Dora Ferreira, MSCA Fellow, Naicons SRL, Italy

13:00-14:30 Lunch

14:30-16:00 New horizons: glimpsing the future | moderated by Joana Xavier

● Addressing the three major challenges of ocean research: achieving net zero, protecting biodiversity and sustaining biological resources – Anya Waite, CEO and Scientific Director of the Ocean Frontier Institute, Canada

● CIIMAR 2050 – Looking beyond our blue horizon – Vítor Vasconcelos, Director of CIIMAR, Portugal

● Scientific challenges of the UN Decade of Ocean Science – Telmo Carvalho, Deputy Coordinator of the Portuguese National Committee for the Decade of Ocean Science, Portugal

● The role of the European Marine Board in supporting ocean science and policy – Fiona Grant, Chair of the European Marine Board, Ireland

● Panel discussion

16:00-16:30 Closing speeches

● António M. Cunha, President of the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), Portugal

● Marta Pontes, Councillor, Matosinhos City Council, Portugal

● Luísa Valente, Member of the Board of CIIMAR.

4:30-6:00 p.m. Cocktail reception