Morant has highlighted the scientific excellence of the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), scientific partner in the candidacy of the Barcelona City Council.
The Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, today visited the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), after speaking at the opening of the Decade of the Ocean 2024 Conference, where she stressed that "Spain has turned to initiatives such as this Conference to add science, innovation, knowledge and international commitment to achieve a sustainable future for our oceans".
In this sense, Morant has launched an appeal for this Conference to be a success because on it "we are playing part of our future, which is that of our planet," she said.
The minister pointed out that "we are at a crucial moment for the future of our oceans", but events like this "show us that society and international institutions recognize and value the ocean in terms of human welfare and environmentally responsible growth and that the scientific community is determined to address the challenges to achieve more sustainable oceans," she said. In this regard, he recalled that "the public investment that we have earmarked for the oceans has been very significant.
The minister pointed out that:
"We are at a crucial moment for the future of our oceans", but appointments like this "show us that society and international institutions recognize and value the ocean in terms of human welfare and environmentally responsible growth and that the scientific community is determined to address the challenges to achieve more sustainable oceans," he said.
In this regard, he recalled that "the public investment that we have allocated only in 2024 to research projects dedicated to Marine Sciences of the CSIC amounts to about 110 million euros".
Subsequently, she visited the ICM-CSIC that participates, together with the BlueNetCat network of experts in blue economy, as a scientific partner in the candidacy of the Barcelona City Council to host a collaborating center of the Decade of the Ocean dedicated to the blue economy.
The Minister has conveyed to the city mayor, Jaume Collboni, "all the support of the Government of Spain" to the candidacy, which "will contribute to make this city the scientific capital that it already is", she said.
During her visit to the ICM-CSIC, Morant toured the electron and optical microscopy service, the experimental aquarium area and the oceanographic engineering service. This is the fourth-largest research institute of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the largest dedicated to marine research.
"We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to receive the Minister and explain first hand our vision and strategic objectives for the coming years. We sincerely thank her for the interest and support expressed both in terms of scientific leadership and social engagement initiatives, including the candidacy as a Collaborating Center for the Decade of the Ocean," said Valentí Sallarès, the director of the ICM-CSIC.
Under the motto 'Marine Research for a Healthy Planet', the ICM-CSIC conducts research of excellence and promotes the transfer of knowledge and technology on issues related to the interaction between the ocean and climate, the conservation and sustainable use of marine life and ecosystems, and the mitigation of the impacts derived from natural hazards and anthropogenic activity.
Moreover, the Institute received in 2020 the accreditation as a center of excellence 'Severo Ochoa', awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the State Research Agency (AEI), to centers that stand out for their impact and international relevance.