Pilot actions of the AANChOR project of the FCT's Oceano program win Atlantic Project Award

The FCT, which coordinates the AANChOR Project through the Oceano program, received the Atlantic Project Awardin the International Cooperation category. The application was submitted by the international consortium through its Communications leader, EurOcean, a European institution based in Portugal. The award will be presented on December 1, 2022, in Cadiz, at the 9th Atlantic Platform Stakeholder Conference.

The joint pilot actions implemented under the AANChOR project were recognized for their innovative contribution to the implementation of the international dimension of the Atlantic 2.0 Action Plan, through the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance, and to the implementation of other European and international science diplomacy processes, such as the European Green Deal and the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science. Based on the principles of co-responsibility, co-design, and co-implementation, the six joint pilot actions of the AANChOR project are the result of a collaborative consultation process involving around 70 experts from 18 countries on the Atlantic coast. The actions bring together a wide range of relevant institutions from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, maximize existing initiatives and available funds, and have a long-term ambition supported by the signatories of the Belém Declaration.

Currently, these six joint pilot actions focus on cross-cutting areas of cooperation and thematic areas relevant to strengthening research and innovation in the Atlantic Ocean. The joint pilot actions are creating Atlantic networks by organizing meetings, workshops, courses, and technical training activities, developing one-stop-shop portals, signing terms of reference, and developing roadmaps and plans, among other things.

As a long-term activity, joint pilot actions under the AANChOR project will have an impact over time, and it can be said that they are already contributing to: creating synergies between existing initiatives in the Atlantic; fostering new models of cooperation in a coordinated and network-based approach; promoting joint activities; and increasing the operational efficiency of marine research.

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