Matosinhos, Portugal, July 9, 2026 (Lusa) - A study carried out by B2E CoLAB mapped Portuguese patents in the blue bioeconomy sector between 2004 and 2024, revealing that knowledge is not being converted “into economic value”.
“We have ideas, we have concepts, we have the capacity to develop science and to protect it through industrial property rights and patents, but then we fall short when it comes to transferring it to the market, for various reasons,” Marta Santos, from B2E – Blue Bioeconomy CoLAB, explained to Lusa.
The study is, in essence, the “first systematic mapping” of Portuguese patents in two decades, covering 1,985 applications, of which 239 were deemed relevant, consolidated into 69 patent families.
Whilst activity was sporadic up until 2014, it accelerated from then on and reached its peak in 2023; however, the figures become more concerning when assessing how these technologies are subsequently "utilised" in the market or the business sector: of these technologies, 94% never progressed beyond the laboratory validation phase.
This means that only a small proportion – 6% – “came close to operational demonstration”, with this maturity having been measured using the TRL scale, which assesses the level of development of a given technology, from initial concept to full commercial application.
Looking at the scale from 1 to 9, 81% are stuck in the middle, which B2E calls “a structural valley of death between the laboratory bench and the market”.
“Our concepts remain at the validation stage. They are validated in the laboratory, but are not subsequently demonstrated in an operational, industrial environment. We are left with ideas at a stage that does not seem to allow for such an effective transfer to the market,” lamented the researcher.
Marta Santos listed as priorities the provision of shared infrastructure between research organisations and public or private entities capable of scaling up that technology, as well as the resolution of lengthy regulatory and licensing processes.
Existing funding in the country “is not adequate” for this scaling-up work, she claimed, and called for an effort from the private sector, which accounts for 42% of patents – that is, less than half – with academia dominating the field.
Here, the University of Porto-CIIMAR consortium leads the way, with 23 of the 69 patent families analysed falling under its remit, in a top 5 that also includes the University of Minho with A4TEC and the Polytechnic Institute of Leiria.
In Europe, the living marine resources sector accounts for more than €209.4 billion in turnover, according to figures from the European Commission’s 2025 Blue Economy Report, whilst the blue biotechnology sector generated €942 million.
B2E – Blue Bioeconomy CoLAB is a private, non-profit association that promotes the transfer of knowledge between science, industry and society, with a focus on the sustainable use of marine resources.
Bringing together companies, universities and research centres, B2E CoLAB “acts as a driver of economic and social development, promoting science-based solutions to address the global challenges of sustainability, circularity and competitiveness in the fields of blue biotechnology, aquaculture and living marine resources”.
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