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 concluded in 2022, gathered 11 partners, from Italy, Croatia, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Montenegro and Portugal and Malta represented by the Malta Council for Science and Technology. With a budget of €1,507,630.00, the project promoted the transformation of the Mediterranean blue bioeconomy field toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovation. BLUE BIO MED aimed 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 was 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 supported the alliance’s start-up to boost the Mediterranean leadership in transformative innovation of the blue economy.
For its Final Conference, BLUE BIO MED organised a Blue Innovation Forum in Cádiz, Spain, on 14-15 September 2022. The event brought together over 100 Atlantic and Mediterranean stakeholders (both physically and remotely) and aimed at fostering alliance.
MCST, Malta’s National Authority responsible for drafting and overseeing the National RIS3 Strategy, therefore its role within the project was to 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 strengthened Malta’s current and upcoming commitments in the blue bioeconomy sector.
The project assisted in streamlining and harmonising Malta’s current obligations on a Mediterranean scale and strengthening multilateral cooperation across the Mediterranean region. Local stakeholders from various sectors promoted capacity building and knowledge sharing on a local and Mediterranean scale.
This article was last updated on: October 26, 2023