The Regional Director for Science and Technology stated in Ponta Delgada that the Regional Government intends to "continue" the financing of science-based initiatives.
 
Bruno Pacheco stressed that, between 2017 and 2018, the Regional Government "maintained the level of investment to support specialised scientific production, training and dissemination, amounting to 400 thousand Euros, with an average of 70 projects per year."
 
"Hence, the Regional Government fulfils its commitment to providing the necessary resources so that the teams and respective regional research centres may carry out their work and also share scientific knowledge and dissemination," said the government official.
 
Bruno Pacheco spoke in Ponta Delgada at the opening session of the international symposium "Seascape 2018," an initiative promoted by the Centre for Research on Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO-Açores), Azores UNESCO Global Geopark and Expolab. It is primarily intended to discuss issues such as biodiversity and marine protected areas, among others.
 
The Regional Director defended the "importance" of holding scientific events that "ensure the recognition of the national and international projection of the Azores scientific system, as well as the consolidation of research of excellence in the Region."
 
In this regard, he mentioned that the holding of this symposium in the Azores is an "effective demonstration that biodiversity-related matters play a key role in supporting the development of strategic development areas in the Region, such as agriculture, the sea and tourism.
 
In his speech, the government official considered that "it is necessary to ensure that regional entities continue to have the necessary tools to create and promote scientific event that should be open to society."
 
In this context, he added that the "Government of the Azores, through the Regional Directorate of Science and Technology, will launch the next edition of public tenders under the various measures provided for in the incentive system for science and technology in the first half of 2019, starting in January."
 
According to Bruno Pacheco, some of the "innovative requirements" implemented this year are expected to be maintained, such as the mandatory involvement with civil society entities, the opening of events to different audiences and the fundamental alignment with the areas of the Research and Innovation Strategy for the Smart Specialisation of the Azores (RIS3).
 
With these measures, the Government of the Azores intends to "maintain and reinforce its investment in the development of the scientific and technological system", said the Regional Director.
 
The aim of the investment is to enhance the quality of the scientific research carried out in the Region as well as to promote the contact and cooperation between the research centres of the University of the Azores and various sectors of Azorean society.