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Transferring knowledge from the most developed countries to the least developed, with a connection to the sea: this is the objective of one of the European projects of which the University of the Algarve is the leader. Linking economics to science or vice-versa is one of the main objectives of the KIMERAA project, organised by the European Union, and involving the Algarve Regional Centre for Innovation (CRIA), which belongs to the University of the Algarve.

The aim of the KIMERAA project, an acronym standing for Knowledge Transfer to Improve Marine Economy in Regions from the Atlantic Area, is to construct mechanisms for transferring knowledge between scientific companies and organisations, focusing particularly on the sciences and activities connected with the sea, the CRIA says.

The CRIA is leading the project together with the University of the Porto - UPIN - Universidade do Porto Inovação (Portugal), the MIK, S. Coop. - Mondragon Ikerketa Kudeaketan (Spain), the University of Cardiff (United Kingdom), Ionad Forbartha Gno t/a WESTBIC (Ireland) and the University of Huelva (Spain).

But in addition to KIMERAA, which it is in charge of, the CRIA is also involved as a partner in a further two projects, also connected with the sea.

In one of them, algae play a key role because the EU will be supporting the use of this marine resource to stimulate the development of small and medium-sized businesses which are already using algae as a raw material.

As in the KIMERAA project, here the idea is to stimulate the transfer of skills from the most developed regions to the least developed and make use of the experiences of economic regulation and the commercial and technical interaction and exchange between partners, the director of the CRIA, João Amaro, said.

The programme, known as NETALGAE, operates as part of the Atlantic Area programme, an instrument of the policy of cohesion funded by the European Commission through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which embraces the whole of mainland Portugal, the regions on the Atlantic coast of Spain, the United Kingdom and France and the whole of Ireland.

Finally, the CRIA’s participation in a third project has been approved, connected with biotechnology and life sciences. In Share Biotech (Sharing Life Science Infrastructures and Skills to Benefit the Atlantic Area Biotechnology Sector) the UAlg is a partner and here the goal is to provide a link between the companies and the research centres.

The person in charge says that the project seeks to strengthen the biotechnology sector in the Atlantic Area, maximising the benefits of the infra-structures and the research skills that exist in the field of life sciences.

source: http://www.algarveobserver.com