A three-day international symposium was held in Portugal on 6 – 8 June as part of the First Sino-Portugal Joint Laboratory for Marine and Environmental Sciences (JLMES).

A seminar on Marine Ecosystems and Utilization of Bioresources was held on the first day of the event at Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA), in Lisbon. During the second and third days, an opening ceremony of the JLMES at, respectively, IPMA and at the Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry of Universidade Católica Portuguesa (CBQF-UCP), Porto, was held.

On June 7, the ceremony was opened in IPMA by representatives of the four collaborating institutions, including Dr. Maria Ana Martins, Board Member of IPMA, Dr. Narcisa Bandarra, Head of the Division of Aquaculture, Valorisation and Bioprospecting of IPMA, Prof. Zhang Yaping, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Prof. Wang Fan, Director of the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), Dr. Wu Yan, Deputy Director General of the Bureau of International Cooperation of CAS, Prof. David Goncalves, Dean of the Institute of Science and Environment of the University of Saint Joseph (ISE-USJ), and Prof. Manuela Pintado, Director of CBQF-UCP. On June 8 in CBQF-UCP, the delegation was joined by officiating guests including Prof. Isabel Gil, Rector of UCP, Prof. Stephen Morgan, Rector of USJ, Prof. Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector of UCP, and Prof. Paula Castro, Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology of UCP. On both days, the events were marked by speeches by the representatives of the four institutions and CAS, a presentation of the JLMES by Prof. Yu Rencheng of IOCAS, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony and/or a plaque-unveiling ceremony. The delegation also visited the research facilities at both IPMA and CBQF-UCP.

Earlier on June 6, scientists from the four institutions gathered in IPMA to share their latest research on marine ecosystems and the sustainable utilization of bioresources, particularly within the context of Portugal, China and Macao.

The three-day event was attended by guests including Dr. Maria Joao Botelho and Dr. Carlos Cardoso from IPMA, Prof. Raquel Vasconcelos and Ms. Sammy Chan from ISE-USJ, Prof. António Rangel, Dr. Joao Cortez, Dr. Mariana Bexiga, Prof. Marta Vasconcelos, Prof. Ana Maria Gomes, Prof. Rui Morais, Prof. Paula Teixeira, Dr. Maria Lopes Cardoso, Dr. Catarina Amorim, Dr. Ezequiel Coscueta, Ms. Marta Cunha and Ms. Sara Cunha from UCP, Dr. Liu Ning and Dr. Liang Zhuo from CAS, Prof. Li Xiaofeng, Prof. Zhang Libin, Dr. Yang Fengfan, Dr. Sun Jingchun and Dr. Geng Huixia from IOCAS, and Ms. Joana Liu Yan, Ms. Huang Lin and Ms. Qiao Chang Wei from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Portuguese Republic.

JLMES is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2020 between ISE-USJ, CBQF-UCP, IPMA, and IOCAS for developing cooperation in the areas of marine and environmental sciences and is being funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST). The overarching objectives of JLMES are to foster scientific cooperation between Portugal and China, through Macao, in the fields of marine and environmental sciences, promoting the development of a sustainable blue economy for the future. (University of Saint Joseph)

Dr. Carlos Cardoso (IPMA) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Dr. Maria Joao Botelho (IPMA) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Dr. Sun Jingchun (IOCAS) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Dr. Geng Huixia (IOCAS) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Prof. Raquel Vasconcelos (ISE-USJ) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Prof. Ana Maria Gomes (CBQF-UCP) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Dr. Catarina Amorim (CBQF-UCP) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Dr. Ezequiel Coscueta (CBQF-UCP) presenting at the scientific seminar in IPMA, Lisbon.

Prof. David Goncalves, Dean of ISE-USJ.

Distinguished guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in IPMA, Lisbon.

Guests attending the opening ceremony in CBQF-UCP, Porto.

Distinguished guests at CBQF-UCP.