As the sixth chapter of our Blue regions in action series, today we turn to Greece!
STEP 1: Identification of regional challenges
The Greece co-creation process included 2 co-creation workshops organized last 16 December 2024 and 15 May 2025. These activities showed a rich and diverse set of innovation needs, reflecting the country’s multidisciplinary blue economy landscape. Six key challenge areas were identified:
- Bioeconomy & Agro-food: Enhancing biodiversity and carbon neutrality in aquaculture, promoting sustainable marine food systems, and advancing Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).
- Environment: Restoring marine biodiversity and addressing pollution through advanced waste-recovery technologies, community engagement, and nature-based solutions.
- Digital Transformation: Leveraging AI, IoT, and real-time monitoring systems to improve marine data accuracy and overcome interoperability gaps.
- Public Health: Strengthening marine biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and regulatory frameworks for blue bioresources.
- Energy: Reducing emissions through innovative maritime energy solutions, including wave and wind energy, and cold ironing.
- Social Innovation: Improving regulatory alignment, fostering R&D, and boosting public-private collaboration.
STEP 2: CALL FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
A total of 17 solutions were received. The applicant profile included:
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10 solutions from SMEs,
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3 solutions from Academic/Research Centers,
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3 different ideas submitted by a single NGO representative,
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and additional interest from Cyprus, showing cross-border collaboration within the Mediterranean.
The proposals addressed key areas such as marine biodiversity monitoring, circularity and waste reduction, clean maritime technologies, digital ocean-data platforms, coastal resilience, and sustainable tourism models—confirming Greece’s strong engagement across all blue economy pillars.
STEP 3: ACCELERATING THE IDEAS THROUGH THE TRAIN LAB
The Greek TRAIN Lab was formally launched on 15 May 2025, establishing a national framework for co-creation, capacity-building, and acceleration.
Between October and December 2025, selected participants joined five thematic training sessions designed to strengthen business readiness, strategic planning, and innovation deployment:
- October 9 — Business Case Development
- October 23 — Business Planning & Funding Opportunities
- November 6 — Sustainability & ESG Readiness
- November 20 — Marketing, Sales & Stakeholder Engagement
- December 9 — Pitching & Investor Communication
These sessions were delivered by experts, including Spyros Kouvelis, Odysseas Spyroglou, Maria Anagnostopoulos (Envolve Entrepreneurship), and Tatiana Der Avedissian (The Economist Impact), who provided essential insights across entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, and policy. Find all the sessions recorded HERE.
The next milestone of the TRAIN Lab took place last 16 December 2025, at the Elia Ermou Athens Hotel, in collaboration with the Greek BlueMissionMed HUB.
This hybrid event brought together industry, academia, public authorities, civil society, and environmental organisations to accelerate Greece’s emerging innovations in:
- marine and freshwater ecosystem protection,
- sustainable blue food systems,
- clean maritime technologies,
- renewable marine energy,
- and digital blue transformation.
The event included thematic discussions aligned with the five national challenge areas and matched solutions with actions, tools, and funding opportunities under the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters.
Stay tuned to BLUE ECOSYSTEM social media for real-time updates (LinkedIn or website).
For further information about the project, please contact jordi.juarez@crpm.org
