UPTEC in a €1.5M European consortium to raise awareness of maritime transport challenges

UPTEC—Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto were one of the partners chosen to participate in the SaferSEA project.

The European consortium will receive €1.5 million in funding to promote the identification and development of innovative technologies for ships and harbours.

In the SaferSEA project, UPTEC is responsible for identifying new technologies and applications based on AI, spatial data, or cybersecurity that can respond to the needs of stakeholders or that can be developed to effectively prevent and respond to safety problems at sea. SaferSEA takes place under the European Union’s Interreg Atlantic Area 2021-2027 programme and will involve six partners from four countries (Portugal, Ireland, France, and Spain).

Funded to the tune of €1.5 million, the project aims to prevent the risks associated with maritime transport, taking into account the different dangers that can affect ships, ports, coastlines and the environment, from the port of departure to the port of arrival.

This project aims to contribute to the development of a safer and more environmentally friendly maritime sector through an impact on the sectors of decarbonisation/alternatives to fossil fuels – deployment of sailing, electric or hydrogen propulsion in the maritime industry; optimisation of maritime traffic – contributing to the preservation of threatened marine areas and preventing accidents at sea, through routing or better planning of navigation; safety – enabling the development of more innovative and safer maritime transport through the use of artificial intelligence and spatial data; and prevention and response to environmental risks – strengthen transnational cohesion in the Atlantic Area, to develop a new methodology for responding to emergencies.

SaferSEA promotes identifying and developing innovative technologies for ships and ports while creating a stronger link between the stakeholders—shipowners, port authorities, researchers, and innovative startups. UPTEC‘s partners in this SaferSEA consortium are Technopôle Brest-Iroise, CEEI Bahía de Cadíz, Sines Tecnopolo, Cedre, and AxisBIC (formerly CorkBIC).

On 3 July, at 2:30 p.m., UPTEC Asprela I will host the SaferSEA Maritime Event—Exploring the Portuguese ecosystem, the presentation event for this project. The event will include Connect Robotics, Windcredible, AELER, CEiiA, CoLAB +Atlantic, Hanhaa, and Connected.

About Interreg Atlantic Area 2021-2027

Interreg Atlantic Area 2021-2027 supports transnational cooperation in the Atlantic regions of four countries: Portugal, Ireland, France and Spain. In this new programme, we are renewing our commitment to the Atlantic regions by supporting innovative initiatives that contribute to the growth of this area, solving common challenges across borders through the implementation of joint actions, exchange of good practices and contribution to new or current policies.

The programme’s budget for 2021-2027 is €113 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The co-financing rate for approved projects is up to 75 per cent of the total investment.

The Atlantic Area 2021-2027 covers the western part of the Atlantic Ocean. It includes all the regions of Ireland and Portugal and several French and Spanish regions near or on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. In Portugal, the regions of Norte, Centro, Lisboa, Alentejo, Algarve, Região Autónoma dos Açores and Região Autónoma da Madeira are eligible.