Macau, China, Dec 9, 2021 (Lusa) – China’s Ministry of Science and Technology has announced that the Sino-Portuguese Ocean Monitoring Technology Laboratory has become part of China’s One Strip Initiative, One Route.
The Sino-Portuguese Joint Space and Marine Technology Laboratory (STARLab) received the award via videoconference, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
STARLab is a joint project between the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation and the Academy of Sciences of China Microsatellite Innovation Academy (IAMCAS).
Portugal’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education told Lusa that the laboratory was founded on a scientific and technical cooperation agreement signed during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s 2018 visit to Lisbon.
According to the Xinmin Evening News, IAMCAS director Zhang Yonghe said the lab is studying climate change, deep sea currents and the state of marine ecosystems.
“The goal of STARLab is to create technology that allows not only to control and protect the oceans, but also to contribute to the sustainable development of the maritime economy,” added the scientist.
The laboratory serves as a platform for collaboration with universities and research institutions in Portugal, said IAMCAS Deputy Chief Executive Officer Lin Baojun, quoted by the Chinese state daily.
Nearly 40 representatives from universities and research institutes in China and Portugal attended the seminar on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.
Portugal’s Science, Technology and Higher Education Minister Manuel Haitor and his Chinese counterpart Wang Zhigang also met online Tuesday.
During the working meeting, Manuel Haitor called for a wider exchange of student scientists and researchers between Portugal and China.
Wang Zhigang argued that since 2018, there has been “significant progress” in bilateral cooperation in areas such as climate change, sustainable development and the protection of cultural heritage.
Both ministers called for a stronger role for Macau in scientific and technological cooperation between Portugal and China.
The STARLab Portugal hub was opened in Caldas da Rainha in July 2019 as part of a public-private partnership, which from the Portuguese side included the aerospace company Tekever and CEiiA – Center for Engineering and Product Development.
The project included the launch into space of the Portuguese microsatellite Infante to collect data on the sea and land surface by the end of 2021.
In April 2021, a source in Tekever told Luce that the Infante should be ready in October, but it no longer has a launch date.
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