One of the project’s most awaited events took place on 28 and 29 April in Marseille (France). The project partners, associated partners and 18 innovative blue economy solutions – accelerated through the project’s TRAIN Labs – had the opportunity to meet in person.
Showcasing regional innovation
After a short project presentation, a dedicated pitch session allowed the 18 selected solution-providers to showcase their ideas, fostering exchange with project partners, associated partners and other innovation actors. This session contributed particularly to increasing the visibility of solutions and supporting their scalability across different territories.
Alentejo
Salicornia of Mira: Sustainable production of “plant-based salt” from Salicornia, with a focus on product innovation (fresh/dehydrated formats), higher value markets, and practices aligned with the conservation of coastal ecosystems.
Blue Trails Vicentina: Low-impact coastal/river ecotourism proposal combining guided routes with environmental and cultural interpretation, aimed at raising conservation awareness and supporting local economic development through sustainable tourism.
Emilia Romagna
Sea Footprint: It measures the environmental impact of coastal activities, helping companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality.
O.T.H.E.R – Offshore Testing Hub for Energy and Research: A real-world Offshore Testing Area near Ravenna, designed to provide companies and research bodies with an operational marine environment where they can test, validate and demonstrate renewable energy technologies under real sea conditions.
Cyprus
NAIADS: An AI-powered simulation environment, which will bring together disparate water data into a central platform for integrated water resource management. It will enable government, local authorities and private sector actors to simulate various actions that can help them save water, time and money
Balearic Islands
Mallorca Women of the Sea Association: Strengthen women’s roles in fisheries, promoting integration through a transformative, women-led action plan that responds to their needs in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
ROE- Renewable Ocean Energy: It focuses on transforming ports into renewable energy producers using wave motion, integrating wave energy systems into existing port infrastructure, such as breakwaters, dikes, or docks.
Greece
Glafcos Marine: Autonomous robotic platforms for ecofriendly ship hull cleaning, tackling biofouling and its impact on fuel use, emissions, and invasive species.
EXAGON SOCIAL HUB (Green for blue Initiative): Sensor-equipped boats collect real-time marine data, while visitors join as “researchers for a day”.
Zadar County (Croatia)
Sustainable Fishing Gear Initiative: A circular system for tracking, recycling, and reusing synthetic fishing gear to reduce impacts, support sustainability, and create new economic opportunities.
Zadar Tourism Intelligence System: A centralized digital platform that integrates real-time tourism data to monitor visitor flows, behaviour, and environmental impacts, enabling coordinated, data-driven decisions for sustainable tourism management and balanced regional development.
Vice Versa: recycling fish processing wastewater by extracting valuable compounds and dehydrating sludge for reuse as organic fertilizer, reducing disposal challenges and enabling circular waste management in the sector.
Occitanie – Région Sud PACA
BIO-SEA (by BIO-UV): containerized ballast water treatment system designed for temporary and port-based operations.
SolarinBlue: An innovative floating solar technology designed for offshore conditions.
ILD SOLUTIONS: Integrated, autonomous and robotic solution for cleaning, maintenance, diagnosis and monitoring of photovoltaic power plants in difficult or constrained environments with minimal impact and high durability.
Albania
Blue fish to fork network: A traceability and sustainability network linking fishers, processors, restaurants, and consumers to ensure responsible fishing practices, transparency, and higher-value local seafood supply chains.
Blue skills for future careers: An educational and professional development program building green and blue economy competencies among youth and students, connecting them to sustainable tourism, conservation, and marine industries.
“”””*All the PPTs about the solutions are available HERE.
From regional experimentation to transnational cooperation
After a short presentation of BlueMissionMed Community and the B2Match Platform, in which all the solutions will be showcased, the event focused on the international TRAIN Lab. Participants were assigned to a thematic table:
- Sustainable marine bio-resources
- Offshore renewable energy
- Sustainable coastal tourism
- Marine pollution, water and waste management
The workshops brought together solution providers, facilitators, and stakeholders to exchange ideas and explore collaboration opportunities. Through interactive discussions, participants identified common challenges, scaling needs, and potential synergies between solutions and territories. The sessions focused on fostering cooperation, sharing expertise and resources, and identifying concrete next steps beyond the event. The overall objective was to support the scalability and replicability of innovative blue solutions across Mediterranean regions.
All the key conclusions and lessons learnt during the as BLUE ECOMATCH as well as the project methodology and TRAIN Labs will be compiled in the final project deliverable “Transformative Book for Blue sustainable economy”, which aims to be a practical tool to ensure the transferability to other territories.
By bringing together innovation actors from across the Mediterranean, the event contributes to strengthening regional ecosystems and facilitating knowledge transfer and cooperation.
Beyond technical sessions, BLUE ECOMATCH provided dedicated networking opportunities, including an evening cocktail, to foster connections among participants.
On the second day, participants took part in a guided visit of the Grand Port of Marseille, offering first-hand insight into local blue economy initiatives and infrastructure. This field visit will provide a practical dimension to the event, connecting project activities with concrete examples of implementation and territorial dynamics.
Looking ahead
The BLUE ECOMATCH event represented a key step in the final phase of the BLUE ECOSYSTEM project. As the project enters its final phase (ending in December 2026), partners also discussed next milestones:
- Ravenna Sea Capital 2026 (17-18 June 2026, Ravenna). The conference will focus on three main thematic strands: High-level political dialogue with institutions, with particular attention to the Southern Mediterranean shore; synergies and coordination among funding instruments; technical sessions dedicated to research and innovation on key low-carbon technologies capable of accelerating the ecological transition of the maritime economy (including areas such as offshore renewable energy, decommissioning, innovative materials). Project partner will be able to present their regional acceleration process as well as the innovative ideas related to the topic.
- Final project event at the ECOMONDO Fair (3-6 November 2026, Rimini). A project stand will be set up for the occasion, with the aim of presenting the final results of the project and the project’s outcomes.
For further information about BLUE ECOSYSTEM project, contact jordi.juarez@crpm.org.
All the pictures taken during the event are available here.
