Caio Cesar-Ribeiro, Assistant Researcher at CCMAR – Centre of Marine Sciences of the Algarve, and João Reis, Assistant Professor at Lusófona University and Researcher at the GOVCOPP and RCM2+ Research Units, are the winners of the fourth edition of the Atlantic Security Award. Each researcher will receive 15 thousand euros to develop their research project.

The Atlantic Security Award is an initiative resulting from the partnership between the Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD), the Atlantic Center and Instituto de Defesa Nacional. This is the fourth year of awarding the award, which will allow those selected to develop their projects over a period of eight months starting in 2025.

Winners’ projects:

Caio Cesar-Ribeiro is an Assistant Researcher at CCMAR – Centre of Marine Sciences of the Algarve, and will develop the project “Mapping and monitoring potential deep-sea mining areas in the Atlantic: strategies for environmental protection and sustainable management”.

This project aims to address the challenges posed by deepwater mining activities by developing a comprehensive strategy to map and monitor potential deepwater mining areas in the Atlantic. The main objectives are to identify geologically favorable locations for mineral extraction, assess the ecological sensitivity of these areas, and establish a dynamic monitoring system to assess environmental impacts during and after the moratorium period.

 

João Reis is an Assistant Professor at Lusófona University and a Researcher at the GOVCOPP and RCM2+ Research Units, and won the award with the project “Transatlantic Space Defense and Deterrence: Capabilities against Hybrid Threats to Space and Terrestrial System“.

The project aims to strengthen the transatlantic capacity to defend critical assets against conventional and unconventional threats targeting critical space infrastructure, including satellites, ground systems and communication networks. The long-term impact involves strengthening transatlantic cooperation, strengthening technological readiness and preparing future military leaders with sufficient knowledge and skills to respond to new security challenges.

 

About the Award

The Atlantic Security Award, a partnership between FLAD and the Atlantic Center and Instituto de Deefsa Nacional, supports two researchers in the area of Security and Defense in the Atlantic. The selected projects will be developed over a period of eight months throughout the year of the opening of the call, and are also selected for their ability to contribute to the progress of knowledge on topics related to current challenges in the field of Security and Defense in the Atlantic area.

Applicants for this award must have completed their PhD, or equivalent degree, no more than 10 years ago and submit evidence of quality independent research.

Those selected were chosen by the jury composed of:

  • Ana Santos Pinto, Professor at Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade NOVA de Lisboa;
  • Luís Miguel Escudeiro da Costa Cabral, Atlantic Centre;
  • Maria Francisca Saraiva, Resident Researcher at Instituto de Defesa Nacional.