Project opening press conference «Digital blue economy and innovation acceleration network»

On September 29, 2022 in a mixed format of face-to-face and remote participation in Odesa State Agrarian University Project opening press conference «Digital blue economy and innovation acceleration network» will be held. (Project acronym: DBAN; Project number: 101077599). Project is financed by European Union through European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency). The project started in June, OSAU team has already been formed, kick-off meetings have been held, and everyone’s activity plan has been outlined within the framework of the project.

Lead Partner of the project is Burgas Municipality (Republic of Bulgaria), co-partners – International business and economic development center (Georgia) and Jugoiztochen digitalen inovacionen HUB (Republic of Bulgaria).

The project aims at creation of regional digital Blue Innovation Acceleration Network for the Black Sea region that will be first implemented between the partnering cities of Burgas, Batumi and Odessa. The DBAN is to become an umbrella of actions that will incorporate blue economy activities from partnering countries’ regions focusing and implementing actions to promote and accelerate innovative business ideas for Blue growth and innovations through a combined environmental, social and economic approach.

These activities will:

• encourage the application of innovative business ideas in the field of Blue Economy;
• accelerate knowledge transfer to companies;
• promote new productive and technological ideas;
• strengthen the cooperation between research and education institutes and the local industry;
• improve the skills and knowledge in Blue Economy;
• create new sustainable jobs;
• enhance the capacity and continuous evolution of the local entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem via the establishment and operation of digital Blue Acceleration Network.

The substantive components of the project are:

• Regional Blue growth strategy with smart specialization local action plans;
• Blue Innovation Accelerator DBAN and pilots;
• Organization and implementation of Blue growth Competitions and Hackathons;
• Increase of Capacity for Blue Economy Actors.
• Mobile application Blue eco mar.

We are grateful to all participants and invite blue economy stakeholders for further cooperation.