In the framework of the European Commission Blue Growth Strategy, the BLUEMED research and innovation initiative for blue growth and jobs in the Mediterranean Area was launched to tap the full potential of the marine and maritime sectors, structuring transnational cooperation to create new ‘blue’ jobs and improve social wellbeing, sustainable prosperity and the good environmental status of the region. To this end, the BLUEMED Coordination and Support Action built solid backbones to support the development of the initiative, including beyond the end of the project.
A Consortium of 11 partners from 9 different European countries led by the National Research Council of Italy has been working since October 2016 to create synergies and complementarities among different stakeholders in order to structure cooperation for advancing the BLUEMED Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) in the Euro-Mediterranean Region. Targeting multiple stakeholders, all relevant players need to be involved in the process of sharing and consolidating the Research and Innovation agenda, including national ministries, regional authorities, research organizations, research infrastructures, academia, private companies, non-governmental and international organizations and civil society.
Among the seas of Europe, the Mediterranean has no match as regards biodiversity and the links between human activities and environmental characteristics. It is changing fast in response to both natural and anthropogenic pressures. Climate change, growing maritime traffic and pollution, overexploitation of fish stocks and invasions of alien species are among the stressors placing the region at risk. At the same time, the Mediterranean’s unique features provide major local opportunities for blue growth and jobs, ranging from fisheries to tourism.
The BLUEMED CSA project implemented necessary tools to:
- support the activities of the Euro-Mediterranean Group of Senior Officials BlueMed Working Group (GSO BlueMed WG) steering the BlueMed Initiaitve, co-chaired by the DG Research and Innovation of the European Commission and the current co-chair of the Union for the Mediterranean, the country of Jordan, and composed by officially appointed delegates from the Mediterranean countries;
- jointly integrate, update, and consolidate the SRIA and develop the Implementation Plan through a working environment based on dialogue to connect communities, contributing to reduce fragmentation and facilitate cooperation among people;
- engage EU and non-EU countries for a global perspective of the Mediterranean Basin;
- connect key players investing in research and innovation at regional, national, European, and Med level;
- address the framework conditions, e.g. infrastructures, data, and human resources, deemed necessary to enable blue growth actions;
- foster innovative multidisciplinary research and innovation activities addressing relevant Mediterranean challenges via piloting Start-up Actions paving the way towards more ambitious blue growth trajectories;
- spread the vision of the Mediterranean Basin as a hotspot for innovation.
