Overview

DREAMS aims to promote research and innovation, scientific dissemination and services provision, developing actions at regional, national and international level, as well as the scientific anchoring of graduate and postgraduate training of the organic units involved in DREAMS and contribute to the implementation of national, Europeans and world strategies for Sustainable Development.

The Research Unit work is highly focused on knowledge transfer and exchanges with research and industry stakeholders that, in Portugal and abroad, work in transversal areas such as circular economy and blue economy. Recently, the DREAMS in collaboration with the CICANT Research Unit, create a new knowledge transference unit – the C-MARINE.
DREAMS has an experience, having participated in international projects supported by EU programs, such H2020, in different areas. Besides, DREAMS researchers have been invited to participate as experts in several projects.

Objectives

DREAMS’s main objectives are:

  • Develop innovative, transversal and interdisciplinary research;
  • Promote a more efficient use of territory (terrestrial and aquatic) and resources;
  • Contribute to a more competitive, resilient and sustainable economy;
  • Contribute to job creation and assure territorial and social cohesion;
  • Develop transdisciplinary international collaboration among researchers and students, with Portuguese-speaking African countries and Brazil.

Goals

The DREAMS research and innovation activities are focused on the key priorities of the European 2020 strategy addressing climate action, environmental integrity, resilience and sustainability (SC5), smart, green and integrated transport (SC4) and clean and efficient energy (SC3), (focus areas: Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future; Connecting economic and environmental gains – the Circular Economy; Digitising and transforming European industry and services). Thus, the DREAMS goals are in line with:

  • UN sustainable development objectives for 2030;
  • EU priorities that include the commitment for an intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth based on knowledge and innovation and the shared pursuit of excellence;
  • The national research and innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3).

Main Areas

The DREAMS research unit has a transversal and multidisciplinary team that gathers researchers and students with knowledge and competences in several and complementary areas of both fundamental and applied research. The research team brings together cross competencies that contribute for supporting research activities towards a sustainable development. For this purpose the research activities are focused on increasing the efficiency of the use of resources, exploiting the endogenous resources and mitigating the negative effects of societal challenges, being grouped in following three main convergence areas:

  • Sustainable and resilient territories;
  • Circular economy;
  • Blue Economy.