DBAN: “Digital Blue Economy and Innovation Acceleration Network»). (Project number: 101077599).
Funding: European Union through European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund of the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).
Implementation period: July 2022 – October 2024.
Project goal
- To establish a regional digital blue innovation network in the Black Sea region aimed at strengthening cooperation between the partner cities Burgas, Batumi and Odesa.
- To support, promote and accelerate the development of innovative business ideas for sustainable blue growth through a synergistic environmental, social, and economic approach.
Lead partner – Burgas Municipality, Republic of Bulgaria
Project co-partners:
International Business and Economic Development Center, Georgia
South-East Digital Innovation Hub, Republic of Bulgaria
Odesa State Agrarian University, Ukraine
The Project budget is €517 569,70, the budget of Odesa State Agrarian University is €110 006,70.
Project activities
- Accelerating knowledge transfer to companies;
- Promoting new productive and technological ideas;
- Strengthening cooperation between research and educational institutions and local companies;
- Enhancing skills and knowledge in the field of the blue economy;
- Creating new sustainable jobs;
- Increasing the capacity and continuous development of the local entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem through the establishment and operation of a digital blue economy network and innovation acceleration.
Key Components of the Project
- Regional Blue Growth Strategy with SMART specialized local action plans;
- DBAN Blue Innovation Accelerator and pilot projects;
- Blue development competitions and hackathons;
- Capacity building for blue economy stakeholders;
- Development of the mobile application Blue Eco Mar.
OSAU participated in all seven work packages of the project and successfully implemented tasks within each of them, in particular:
- Work Package 1: Project Management and Coordination – successfully fulfilled the partner’s management function under the guidance of the lead partner.
- Work Package 2: Regional Blue Growth Strategy with SMART specialized local action plans – contributed to the development of relevant documents as required by the responsible partner.
- Work Package 3: DBAN Blue Innovation Accelerator and Pilot Projects – participated in discussions on platform development and stakeholder engagement and implemented a local mentorship scheme.
- Work Package 4: Organization of Blue Growth Competitions and Hackathons – organized the UA-BGrowth Hackathon, a competition for the best business ideas for projects and startups in the innovative Blue Economy of the Odesa region.
- Work Package 5: Capacity Building for Blue Economy Stakeholders – developed and conducted the course “Digitalization for Entrepreneurship Entities” for three stakeholder groups: coastal and marine tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and maritime transport.
- Work Package 6: Project Structure and Mobile Application Coordination – discussed the structure of the Blue Eco Mar mobile application at a DBAN consortium partners’ meeting and provided the required information for the platform.
- Work Package 7: Dissemination and Communication – organized a wide-scale communication and promotional campaign, including the project’s launch and final press conferences, the opening conference of the UA-BGrowth Hackathon and a two-day innovation exchange event to promote the region and DBAN – Odesa Blue Innovation EXPO.
DBAN Project Launch
September 29, 2022, Odesa (Ukraine)
The project launch press conference was held at OSAU in a blended format, in-person and online participation.
May 8 – 13, 2023, Odesa, Ukraine
Blended training course “Digitalization for Entrepreneurship Entities”. It brought together representatives from the fisheries, aquaculture and tourism sectors and focused on developing digital business skills, using digital tools and applications and supporting the digital transformation of entrepreneurial activities in the Black Sea region.
June 26 – 28, 2023, Odesa, Ukraine
The UA BGrowth Hackathon was held at Odesa State Agrarian University – a competition for the best business ideas for projects and startups in the innovative Blue Economy of the Odesa region. The event focused on addressing challenges related to sustainable use of natural resources, aquaculture protection and restoration and sustainable maritime tourism and transport. The hackathon was held in a blended format, in-person and online/Zoom. Participants had the opportunity to develop their business ideas, consult with mentors, and prepare to present their ideas to the jury.
June 4 – 5, 2024, Odesa, Ukraine
Odesa State Agrarian University hosted the Odesa Blue Innovation EXPO and Smart Specialization Conference. The event brought together innovative companies and key stakeholders to present the DBAN network, exchange best practices and foster blue entrepreneurship, innovation and investment in the region. It laid the foundation for further cooperation between producers and service providers in the Blue Economy sector and established a basis for the sector’s growth at both national and international levels.
