The Autonomous Region of the Azores is one of the participants in the sixth edition of the “Open Days - European Week of the Regions and Cities”, which happens between the 6th and 9th of October.

For the first time, and responding to a challenge launched by the General Directorate for Regional Policy so that the "Open Days" is decentralized to the whole Community space, each member of a conglomerate will be going to organize a local event, to happen equally during October.

In the Azores, this event will be the TECNOMAR - Sea Technology Market, which will happen on the 24th and 25th of October in Santa Maria.

Dedicated to the theme “regions and cities in a world in challenge”, the “Open Days 2008” has as aim providing to the European institutions a joint perspective of the future of the European policy of social, economical and territorial cohesion shared by the regions and cities.

This year’s program is composed by 120 sessions distributed by the three days of the event, devoted to subjects like the “innovation in the regions: promotion of the investment, technological development and innovation”, “sustainable development: reactions at regional level to the climatic changes”, “cooperation and networks: share of good practices in regional development” and “looking at the future: an European policy of cohesion for tomorrow”.

In the whole, 216 regions and 32 countries will be present, this year, being expected a total number of 5500 participants, among which experts and deciders on the subject of regional policies, businessmen and representatives of the financial sector.

The Azores participate in the conglomerate led by the Region of Lisbon and Valley of the Tagus, under the subject “Competitiveness in the Water Network - Innovatory Sea Economy”, fitted in the area of “innovatory Regions: Promotion of investigation, technological development and innovation”.

Among other subjects, the formation of multisectoral "clusters", the dynamization of innovatory sea "clusters", the improvement of the efficiency of the sea transport, the promotion of the coastal and sea tourism, the development of innovatory sea energetic systems and the government in the sea and coastal sectors will be debated.

Still as part of this conglomerate, Ricardo Serrão Santos, director of the Oceanography and Fishing Department of the University of the Azores, will present an intervention entitled “Advancements in the Study of the Deep Sea in the Azores: Prospective for the Biotechnology”.

Besides the Azores and the Region of Lisbon and Valley of the Tagus, the regions of Andalucía (Spain), Sicily (Italy), the Canary Islands (Spain), Zealand (Holland), Oriental Macedonia, Tracia and Heraklion (Greece) make part of the same conglomerate.