The PORTAL (Adaptive Strategies for Enhancing Threat-agnostic Resilience of Port Ecosystems) project successfully held its Kick-off Meeting at County Hall, central London, marking the official launch of this four-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchange initiative.

The meeting brought together the full PORTAL consortium to formally initiate the project, align on its overarching objectives, and establish a shared vision for collaboration over the coming years. Discussions focused on the project’s ambition to advance the resilience and sustainability of port–city ecosystems through integrated research, interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, and close cooperation between academic and non-academic partners.

PORTAL unites 11 partners from 8 countries, spanning universities, research organisations, and industry stakeholders. Through structured staff exchanges and joint research activities, the consortium aims to strengthen capacity building, foster cross-sectoral learning, and co-develop innovative approaches to understanding, preparing for, and adapting to a wide range of impacts and threats affecting port ecosystems.

The Kick-off Meeting also served as a key opportunity to introduce the project structure, clarify roles and responsibilities, and set the foundations for effective coordination across work packages. Particular emphasis was placed on ensuring coherence between scientific objectives, training activities, and the project’s broader societal and policy-relevant goals.

The PORTAL consortium warmly thanks all partners for their active engagement and constructive contributions during the meeting. With a strong collaborative spirit established from the outset, PORTAL now moves forward into its implementation phase with a shared commitment to delivering impactful and forward-looking solutions for resilient port–city systems.