Researchers Reflect on the Ocean Innovation Challenges Hosted by NOVA University Lisbon

From May 5 to 9, NOVA University Lisbon hosted the EUTOPIA MORE Innovation Challenges for Researchers, bringing together 17 researchers from seven EUTOPIA universities for an intensive week focused on the Ocean.

As part of the EUTOPIA MORE project, participants worked in multidisciplinary teams to tackle real-world challenges set by industry partners Oceano Fresco, BlueOASIS, and Ocean Community. The goal: design practical, innovative solutions through collaboration across fields and institutions.

The programme combined hands-on workshops, expert insights on the blue economy, and visits to key innovation hubs, including the NOVA Innovation & Analytics Lab (NOVA IMS), the Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute (NOVA SBE), and Fórum Oceano.

The week ended with a public pitch session, where teams presented tech-driven solutions with strong potential to address real challenges in ocean sustainability—an area of strategic importance for both NOVA and Lisbon.

Participant Reflections

Damiano

We had a great time at the Ocean Innovation Challenges hackathon at NOVA University Lisbon. The event offered valuable mentoring, design thinking sessions, and networking opportunities. I worked in smallermultidisciplinary team—bringing together expertise in linguistics, oceanography, and data science—to tackle the Deploy-Anywhere Smart Buoy challenge, launched by Blue Oasis. We then developed the concept of the Blue Oasis Buoy (BOB): a modular, intelligent buoy system designed for both marine biodiversity monitoring and maritime security. BOB has potential as a versatile solution for ocean observation in the growing blue economy and the client was satisfied.

Claudia

We were lucky to be able to participate in EUTOPIA Innovation Challenges for researchers hosted by NOVA University of Lisbon. Here we had the opportunity to work on pressing ocean challenges over the course of a week with 17 researchers from 7 EUTOPIA universities. These challenges were proposed by the industry partners: Oceano Fresco, blueOASIS, and Ocean Community. By working in multidisciplinary teams, we created the perfect environment for ideas and innovation! It was an intense but super satisfying week, where we dived into everything from marine ecosystems and climate policy to sustainable technologies and beyond.

Furthermore, we got to explore the beautiful city of Lisbon, with its magnificent coast, as a perfect reminder of why we’re working on ocean sustainability. I made some amazing connections (and friends), and I’m excited for what lies ahead !
Big thanks to EUTOPIA for this opportunity.

Arida

Last week, I had the valuable opportunity to collaborate with two environmental engineers from Nova University Lisbon and one mechanical engineer from Technische Universität Dresden. Together, we teamed up to address a challenge issued by OceanoFresco, a sustainable seafood start-up. Our task was to identify and repurpose unused and sub-used ponds in northern Portugal for cultivating juvenile bivalves—Ruditapes decussatus and Venerupis corrugata.

This event significantly shifted my perspective. It underscored that fundamental science, and economic considerations are not opposing forces but complementary pillars of sustainable development under the Blue Economy framework. More importantly, these two domains must be effectively bridged. This collaborative challenge served as a microcosm of that bridging process. It was demanding, but it inspired me to explore this interdisciplinary space further. I’m now eager to integrate this approach into my PhD research.