BlueBioMED

The BLUEBIOMED strategic project contributes to the Programme specific objective 4.1 with specific reference to the innovation policies for Mediterranean blue bioeconomy.

It is developed according to the ToR of the MED Programme call for strategic project proposals published in March 2020 and addressing Topic 2 - Improving the governance of innovation policies in the MED to promote the smart specialisation in the blue bioeconomy.

The project is expected to contribute to the objectives by:
• bridging the current transnational governance Institutions and initiatives (i.e. UfM, UNEP-MAP, EUSAIR, WestMed Initiative, Bluemed Initiative, etc.) with the territorial - regional/national – policies (R&I strategies for smart specialisation plus sectoral strategies touching the blue bioeconomy field, including the national Bioeconomy strategies, in the case of IT, FR and ES) taking the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the common reference grid;
• developing a model of work able shape innovation to address complex sustainable development challenges;
• paving the way for further strengthening the MED innovation ecosystem community and actors, promoting an open Innovation Alliance and exploring concrete opportunities to support innovation action responding to the main Mediterranean challenges.

The main activities of the project will be the following:
1. Mapping of the innovation trends and priorities for the blue bioeconomy emerging from regional/national RIS3 of the MED countries as well as of the existing blue bioeconomy-relevant transnational strategies (WP3);
2. Identify and mapping of quadruple helix (QH) actors (national and regional authorities, research, business, civil society) active in blue bioeconomy innovation in the MED area(WP3);
3. Stimulating actors’ cooperation to co-design innovative actions to face SD (sustainable development) challenges for blue bioeconomy, improving their capacity to work together to address complex challenges and building transnational coalitions for further actions(WP4);
4. Promoting of a bottom-up MED Innovation Alliance among multilevel policy-makers and stakeholders and assessment of different options to strengthen the blue (bio)economy innovation community beyond the project duration, also considering available governance and funding schemes (WP5);

The project foresees the organisation of two editions of a large MED Blue Economy Innovation Forum where actors of the multilevel governance architecture and QH sectors meet, involving also actors from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean (the second will be held at EMD 2022).
A sounding group gathering representatives of existing MED transnational organisations and initiatives will be set-up to accompany the project evolution ensuring coherence and synergies with ongoing dynamics.

Blue Bio Med is a project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.