In September 2026, BLUE ECOSYSTEM, represented by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), participated in two events offering opportunities to present the project, exchange with stakeholders and explore new cooperation opportunities.
Thessaloniki International Fair 2026 | Thessaloniki, Greece
Through the HCMR pavilion, the project presented its activities and approach to a broad audience of stakeholders from research, innovation, business and the wider blue economy ecosystem.
The Fair provided an opportunity to promote the project’s work on connecting research and innovation capacities, businesses, solution providers, public authorities and other relevant stakeholders, facilitating knowledge exchange, networking and new collaborations. Discussions also focused on the role of research and innovation in supporting the sustainable blue economy and on strengthening links between knowledge providers, innovative solutions and their potential users.
Atlantic & WestMED Stakeholder Conference | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
BLUE ECOSYSTEM also contributed to an inter-programme panel bringing together projects from Interreg Atlantic, Interreg MAC, Interreg NEXT MED and Interreg Euro-MED.
A central question of the discussion was:
Which of the main outcomes or learnings from the participating projects could be further scaled up and transferred to other sea basins?
In this context, HCMR highlighted the potential of the BLUE ECOSYSTEM collaborative ecosystem approach to be adapted and replicated in other regional and sea-basin contexts. The project experience demonstrates the importance of creating structured connections between research, innovation, entrepreneurship and territorial actors, enabling knowledge, expertise and innovative blue solutions to circulate more effectively across regions.
The discussion also underlined the value of inter-programme and cross-sea-basin cooperation. Although the Atlantic, Macaronesian and Mediterranean regions have distinct environmental and socio-economic characteristics, they share challenges related to sustainable marine resource use, innovation uptake, ecosystem resilience and the transition towards a sustainable Blue Economy.
Participation in both events provided BLUE ECOSYSTEM with opportunities to share project experiences, strengthen stakeholder connections, expand its network and explore future collaborations and synergies across Europe.
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
