Leading blue economy innovation ecosystem players to share their knowledge and build capacity and investment opportunities in two subsectors: aquaculture and fisheries, and renewable marine energy and decarbonisation, for a sustainable future.

I3-4-BLUE GROWTH

aims to build capacities of less-developed European regions to build and reinforce the capabilities of blue economy ecosystems in the identification of interregional innovation and investment projects, for the development of a sustainable and smart green and blue economy.

The core focus will be on two core value chains with potential for innovation and growth, in particular: sustainable seafood, aquaculture and valorization of blue resources (value chain #1), and maritime renewable energy and decarbonization of the maritime sector (value chain #2). Identification and mapping of opportunities for innovative, sustainable and deeptech investments across those sectors will be at the core of the project activities.

I3-4-BLUE-GROWTH

will promote regional capacity building in six less developed regions from four countries (Azores, Center and North – Portugal; Andalusia – Spain, Pomorskie – Poland, and Croatia – HR), situated in four different macro-regions (Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean, and Adriatic), while exploring synergies and opportunities of collaboration with leading blue economy clusters across Europe.

The consortium is led by ANI | Agência Nacional de Inovação (Portugal), and also includes Technology Centre Merinova Oy (Finland), HAMAG-BICRO – Croatian agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (Croatia), Ctaqua Aquaculture Technological Centre (Spain), Agrifood Clust-ER (Italy), Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique (France), Regional Directorate of Science and Technology – Azores Regional Government (Portugal), Unknown Group (The Netherlands), Baltic Sea & Space Cluster (Poland), and BlueBio Alliance (Portugal).

Please visit our website to learn more here: https://lnkd.in/dADkikVg

   

I3-4-BLUE-GROWTH is a capacity building and investment project preparatory action aimed at promoting interregional cooperation for innovation and investment projects in high-priority and value-added markets of the blue economy sector.

By bringing together European leading actors of Q-helix (2 national public authorities and one regional government), technology centres and industry clusters with track-record in blue economy sector, we aim at responding to the needs of 6 less developed regions from 4 countries (PT, ES, HR and PL) in key areas for smart specialization of these regions. We will build on experience of 2 more developed regions (NL and IT) and 2 transition regions (FI and FR), which are leading European regional ecosystems in their respective fields.

The primary objective of the project is to enhance capacities of less-developed coastal & insular European regions to build and reinforce innovative ecosystems for the development of a sustainable and smart blue economy.

The project will focus on two specific value chains (sustainable fisheries, aquaculture and valorization of blue resources; Renewable Marine Energy and maritime decarbonization) aiming to deepen understanding of the related interregional value chains, transferring knowledge and good practices, and identifying a pipeline of innovative investments to promote sustainable growth of blue economy value chains.

The project will equip regional stakeholders and SMEs with technical, business and investment readiness expertise, networking, business matchmaking and brokerage opportunities towards joint interregional innovation investment projects. Based on peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and regional field trips, it will provide them with exemplary best practices and advances in the sector, from both interregional policy, financing and industry perspective.

Keywords:

blue economy, maritime, sustainable aquaculture, interregional innovation, value chains, smart specialisations, Q-helix, internationalisation

Participants

  • ANI – AGENCIA NACIONAL DE INOVACAO, SA – ANI(999941476) – COORDINATOR
  • OY MERINOVA AB – (998251445) – BENEFICIARY
  • HRVATSKA AGENCIJA ZA MALO GOSPODARSTVO, INOVACIJE I INVESTICIJE – HAMAG-BICRO(938550758) – BENEFICIARY
  • FUNDACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO ACUICULTURA DE ANDALUCIA – CTAQUA (974250444) – BENEFICIARY
  • CLUST-ER AGROALIMENTARE – CLUST-ER AGROALIMENTARE(908162113) – BENEFICIARY
  • POLE MER BRETAGNE ATLANTIQUE – PMBA(994505984) – BENEFICIARY
  • VICE-PRESIDENCIA DO GOVERNO REGIONAL DOS ACORES – (884509051) – BENEFICIARY
  • UNKNOWN INNOVATION BV – (891228435) – BENEFICIARY
  • BALTYCKI KLASTER MORSKI I KOSMICZNY – (910357708) – BENEFICIARY
  • BBA – ASSOCIACAO NACIONAL PARA OS BIORECURSOS MARINHOS E BIOTECNOLOGIA AZUL – BLUEBIO ALLIANCE(916472006) – BENEFICIARY