Minister of Science launches 2.5 ME International Award for research projects on the Côa Valley

Minister of Science launches 2.5 ME International Award for research projects on the Côa Valley

Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, announced at the Côa Museum the creation of the “Foz Coa International Research Award”, with a global allocation of 2.5 million euros, to finance SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT for the promotion of R & D activities of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scope in the region of the Côa Valley, classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Taking as reference the promotion of R & D activities of an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary scope to be carried out , and its conceptual framework for discovering the origin of life, interaction with peoples and cultures, and the natural world and biological diversity, the creation of new knowledge in several thematic areas from a scientific and artistic multidisciplinarity perspective and contributing to develop a new international R & D agenda on the heritage of the Côa Valley, including:

Observation and Knowledge of the Earth, including the use of new space technologies among others;

Climate and climate change;

Origin of life and artistic-socio-cultural interactions throughout the centuries;

Biodiversity and biological resources.

In this sense, an R & D Program will be created for research in these thematic areas, integrating the scientific value of the Côa Valley heritage and attracting research groups of international excellence to work in Portugal in close cooperation with teams of Portuguese institutions.

Non-corporate R & D entities may apply, namely:

Institutions of higher education, their institutes, and R & D units;
State or international laboratories established in Portugal;
Private non-profit institutions whose main purpose is R & D;
Other public and private, non-profit institutions that develop or participate in scientific research activities.

Companies of any nature and in any legal form, as long as they are included in R & D projects led by non-corporate entities of the R & I system, within the framework of effective collaboration.

Manuel Hector announced this initiative as part of a visit by the Minister of Science to the Côa Valley Festival Ciência Viva, which marked the integration of the Côa Museum in the National Network of Ciência Viva Centers.