This year, the main science event in Portugal represents two major relevant changes. It will be, for the first time ever, away from the main capital. The selected city was Aveiro, surrounded by amazing natural beauty and multiple water fronts and where science is a key pilar of its development. Also, for the first time, this will be a thematic event, with a focus on ocean and waters and all their intrinsic connections, and the role science and technology must continue learning, discovering, exploring, and sustainably exploiting the unknown while protecting and restoring the real lungs of this so-called blue planet! After the pandemic years, this year’s Science 2023 event marks a much-desired return to normal, with a full physical event with new dynamics, aiming at those face-to-face meetings, sharing conversations and exchanging ideas amongst all of us in Portugal that live from and for science. Mostly, we desire this to be an event full of reencounters, smiles and hands shaking, shared coffees and snacks, formal and informal networking and that human eye to eye contact we all miss too much!
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"Ocean and Waters: Boosting Science’s contribution" is the motto for this year's meeting. This will take place overlooking the Ria of Aveiro, in the fantastic space of the University of Aveiro, on 5, 6 and 7 July, and where we intend to disseminate and boost today's science for the future of the oceans we want for tomorrow. For three days, Science 2023 will function as a broad platform for reunion, debate, and discussion of the most diverse fields of science, and the best and most renowned national and international scientists. Here we will share questions, successes and failures, results, and innovations in our incessant search for the knowledge needed to build solutions to today's enormous challenges in the search for a more sustainable, fairer and bluer (and greener) society!
On the 6th of July it is also International Cooperative Day. In science, cooperation is a key word. To honor this pilar of cooperation, fundamental to excellent science, Science 2023 has our neighbor country, Spain, as our distinguished guest. Spain actively participates in this year’s event, not only with representatives at the highest political and institutional level, but also via the participation of many of our colleagues and friends from the wide variety of our Spanish scientific counterpart institutions.
This is an annual meeting to celebrate national science, integrated in the international context, and promoted by the Foundation for Science and Technology in collaboration with Ciência Viva – the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture, having the institutional support of the Government through our Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, one of our most respected scientists and an inspiration for many women and girls in science in Portugal.
At Science 2023 we hope to leverage the outstanding contributions of science and technology in all the crosscutting areas that meet or impact this ocean and waters that unite us all, engaging researchers, business and industry players, students, and civil society in 3 days of real sharing and joint co-creation of a brighter future for the planet and all of us.
