That is why I was struck by the news of the selection of 18 international startups for the HUB Azul Acceleration program. At first glance, it may seem like just another business acceleration program. In fact, it represents something much more important. It represents Portugal's ability to attract international innovation to develop projects related to the ocean, creating knowledge, investment and qualified employment from our territory.

The selected companies come from countries such as the United States, Japan, Finland, France and the United Kingdom. They work in areas as diverse as sustainable aquaculture, blue biotechnology, marine biodiversity monitoring, autonomous navigation, fishing gear recycling and intelligent ocean data management. Some of these startups are already valued at tens or even hundreds of millions of euros, which demonstrates the economic dimension that this sector is beginning to assume worldwide.

The most interesting thing is that these companies do not just come to present ideas. They come to develop pilot projects, create partnerships and test solutions from Portugal. This shows that the country is beginning to be seen as a credible place to innovate in an area where it has natural advantages that are difficult to replicate. We have a privileged Atlantic location, one of the largest exclusive economic zones in Europe, universities with quality research and a historic connection to the sea that can now become a modern economic advantage.

Over the past few years, we have seen the arrival of investments related to artificial intelligence, energy and data centres. The blue economy could be the next big opportunity. In a world increasingly concerned with sustainability, food security, the preservation of natural resources and environmental monitoring, ocean-related solutions will gain increasing strategic importance.

The merit of HUB Azul lies precisely in creating bridges between investors, startups, universities, companies and public entities. It is this type of ecosystem that allows you to transform knowledge into business and business into economic growth. There is often talk of the need to diversify the Portuguese economy and create more qualified jobs. Projects like this contribute exactly to this goal.

Perhaps for too long we have looked at the sea only as part of our history. Today, we have the opportunity to make it an important part of our future. And when we see innovative companies from several continents choosing Portugal to develop their solutions, we realise that this transformation has already begun.