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The new frontier of knowledge, technology and innovation. Yet, it remains largely unknown. Our blue planet’s sustainable future goes far beyond the surface, reaching all the way to the deep sea. INESCTEC.OCEAN’s message is clear: the world’s Blue Economy, Earth’s preservation, and wellbeing all begin at the bottom of the ocean.

November 1 marks the first International Day of the Deep Seabed, as established by the International Seabed Authority. The date is inteded to celebrate the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Implementation Agreement, which ensure the equitable management and protection of marine resources for present and future generations.

INESCTEC.OCEAN had the pleasure of hosting our partners from SINTEF at our research facilities in Porto. Besides visits to INESC TEC’s labs, the Hub Azul Leixões – Polo I construction site and the Aguçadoura test platform, both teams met throughout three days to define the joint research work for a pilot project, focused on floating offshore energy structures monitoring and maintenance systems.

“The goal is to develop a structure health monitoring system for floating offshore wind turbines, particularly with regard to underwater components”, explains Co-Project Manager and INESC TEC researcher Diogo Neves. “One of the goals is to strengthen relations between INESCTEC.OCEAN and SINTEF Ocean. Our expectations are that it could also be a launch pad for future projects”, emphasises Nuno Fonseca, joint Project Manager and Chief Scientist at SINTEF.

At the United Nations Headquarters, INESCTEC.OCEAN Scientific Coordinator Eduardo Silva addressed questions on current fishing methods and the future path toward a more sustainable, cooperative fishing industry.

Last June, 2025, the INESC TEC researcher travelled to New York City (USA) to take part in a panel on “Capacity building and the transfer of marine technology: New developments, approaches and challenges”, as a part of the “United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea”.

Early June, INESC TEC hosted the third edition of the EU-SCORES Stakeholder Engagement Event & Policy Summit, focused on the most recent developments on offshore renewable energy multiuse technologies and their impacts on the Atlantic Ocean.

Among presentations, expert discussion panels, and networking, participants had the opportunity to visit the CorPower Ocean’s facilities, in Viana do Castelo – getting a closer look on cutting-edge wave energy technologies. On the last day, guests made a short visit to INESC TEC’s research vessel Mar Profundo. In Póvoa de Varzim, the group sailed across the Aguçadoura test site and, back on land, CEO – Companhia Energia Oceânica guided the participants on a tour of the electrical substation.

A month ago, INESCTEC.OCEAN was present at the 2025 OCEANS Conference, in Brest. “A perfect opportunity for engagement, networking, and presenting the work that we do in the labs”, emphasises Paula Lima, INESC TEC researcher.

While showcasing the Institute’s ocean R&D+I capabilities at the exhibitors’ hall, our researchers also took the stage on a range of work presentations, such as ocean digitalisation, acoustic-based marine litter detection, and underwater wireless communications – including blockchain-enabled and multimodal approaches. 

In every country, every community, the solution may be different, but cooperation is the key message.” Last month, Eduardo Silva, INESCTEC.OCEAN Scientific Coordinator, was at the United Nations HQ, in New York City (USA), highlighting the importance of knowledge transfer and international cooperation for capacity building in ocean research.

At the “United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea”, the INESC TEC researcher was invited to participate in a panel dedicated to “Capacity building and the transfer of marine technology: New developments, approaches and challenges”.