Programme: Interreg Med
Acronym: Blue Bio Med
Project title: Mediterranean Innovation Alliance for a sustainable blue economy.
Priority Axis 4: Enhancing Mediterranean Governance
4.1: To support the process of strengthening and developing multilateral coordination frameworks in the Mediterranean for joint responses to common challenges.
The governance of innovation policies in the Blue bioeconomy is characterised by a complex interplay of policies promoting innovation at different territorial scales (regional, national, international). BLUE BIO MED is a strategic project funded under Interreg MED Axis 4 on governance that focuses on the blue bioeconomy. The project, which started in September 2020 and will conclude in 2022, gathers 11 partners, including the Malta Council for Science and Technology from Italy, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Montenegro and Portugal. With a budget of €1,507,630.00, the project promotes the transformation of the Mediterranean blue bioeconomy field toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovation. BLUE BIO MED aims to develop a governance model of innovation policies to tackle complex challenges that will be tested through policy experiments triggering the cooperation of the quadruple helix stakeholders for interregional innovation investments.
R&I strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) are the key entry point for understanding and orienting the innovation trends and priorities across MED regions and connecting transnational cooperation with investments for growth and jobs for the Cohesion Policy. The project is an open platform for an inclusive co-design process in conjunction with the broader innovation community promoting a bottom-up MED Innovation Alliance for blue bioeconomy to streamline multiple efforts and initiatives around the Mediterranean. It will support the alliance’s start-up to boost the Mediterranean leadership in transformative innovation of the blue economy.
MCST, Malta’s National Authority responsible for drafting and overseeing the National RIS3 Strategy, therefore its role within the project will focus on gathering information regarding local blue bioeconomy initiatives, including projects, and engage with local stakeholders involved in the Blue Bioeconomy sectors. MCST’s participation will strengthen Malta’s current and upcoming commitments in the blue bioeconomy sector. The project will assist in streamlining and harmonising Malta’s current obligations on a Mediterranean scale. This will result in strengthening multilateral cooperation across the Mediterranean region. Local stakeholders from various sectors will promote capacity building and knowledge sharing on a local and Mediterranean scale. Thus, policies will have a robust foundation and a holistic approach. The work carried out in this project will continue to build on the Malta Council for Science and Technology’s success throughout the years.
Visit the website for more information: https://blue-bio-med.interreg-med.eu/
This article was last updated on: March 3, 2021