The Regional Secretary for the Sea, Science and Technology conveyed in Florianópolis, Brazil, the "willingness and interest" of the Azores to host a "pilot site" of the Deep Ocean Observing System. This project is based in Washington, USA, is led by Patrick Heimbach, one of the researchers who participated in the preparation of the White Paper; the latter served as the basis for the development of the Azores International Research Centre of the Atlantic (AIR Center).
 
"One of the challenges that the Declaration of Florianópolis poses is the possibility of creating pilot projects that begin to give shape to the AIR Centre," said Gui Menezes. He noted that the Deep Ocean Observing System may "join other projects and infrastructures that will be launched in coming years," namely the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and Water Column Observatory (EMSO). This project is part of the European Research Infrastructures Itinerary.
 
The Regional Secretary spoke at the 2nd Ministerial Meeting and High-level Industry-Science-Government Dialogue on Atlantic Interactions. The establishment of the AIR Centre was formalised at the event by the Declaration of Florianópolis, which was signed by eight countries and by the Regional Government of the Azores.
 
Gui Menezes stressed that "since the very beginning, the Azorean Government has been committed, together with the National Government, to this initiative in favour of a scientific research project that involves numerous countries around the Atlantic."
 
"For the Azores, it is an honour and a responsibility to host the headquarters of the AIR Center and to be, simultaneously, one of the structures that will be associated with this centre," the government official said, assuring that the Region "is committed to providing all the conditions" for its implementation.
 
The Secretary for Science reminded that, in addition to the various scientific infrastructures in the archipelago, "the Azores have stood out for the knowledge and research on deep sea and open sea."
 
During his speech, he stressed "the need to explore Atlantic resources in a sustainable manner and to forecast the impacts of climate change" on these resources.
 
Gui Menezes defended that "the Azores and the Atlantic islands are privileged places to test offshore aquaculture technologies," adding that the Region is already taking the first steps in this direction through private initiatives.
 
In addition to the ocean, the Regional Secretary pointed out that the Azores "have shown interest in the space area," revealing that the Azorean Government has been "investing in this sector over the last decades."
 
In this regard, he mentioned, for example, the Santa Maria Geodetic Station of the Atlantic Network of Geodynamic and Space Stations (RAEGE). This project was established between the Government of the Azores and the Government of Spain, through the Spanish Geographic Institute.
 
"We have European Space Station structures, operated by the company Edisoft, and we take active part in the NEREUS network - Network of European Regions Using Space Technologies and Copernicus Relays," said the government official.
 
Gui Menezes also stated that several companies linked to the aerospace sector "have shown interest in the Azores." Due to its geographic location, the Region "has a strong potential to host a platform for access to space," projecting the archipelago into "the limelight of the New Space era."
 
In his speech, he also stressed that the Regional Government intends that the AIR Center "may be a driving force in the development of science, innovation and services powered by space and ocean technologies for monitoring the atmosphere, ocean and climatic process."
 
"We need a great deal of cooperation to face the challenges that lie ahead us," said the government official.
 
The 2nd Meeting and High-level Industry-Science-Government Dialogue was promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education of Portugal and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications of Brazil. It included the signing of Florianópolis Declaration that determines the creation of the AIR Center.
 
Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Angola, Cape Verde, Nigeria, Uruguay and São Tomé and Príncipe are the founding countries of this project, with the participation of the United Kingdom and South Africa as observer countries.
 
Under this meeting, the members create an installation commission with the purpose of defining a financial plan and implementing an international and intergovernmental platform.
 
The 1st Ministerial Meeting and High-level Industry-Science-Government Dialogue on Atlantic Interactions took place last April on the island of Terceira. The event was attended by about thirty countries.