In accordance with objectives of BLUEAIR project on March 21st and 22nd, the project partners of BLUEAIR project will gather in Berlin on a Learning event, which will be organized with support of SUBMARINER Network, Centrum Balticum Foundation and the Baltic Institute of Finland.

The learning events as study trips to best-performing regions and macro-regions aim to facilitate the transfer of know-how and the implementation of successful innovation policy on Sustainable Blue Economy based on policy recommendations.

Based on the specific objectives of the learning events and findings from the benchmark report, given the shared similarities, the learning event will be organized in the Baltic Sea Region.

The Baltic Sea Region and Adriatic and Ionian Region share an important similarity, EU macro-regional strategies that cover the territories surrounding their seas, thus making Sustainable Blue Economy an important topic of macro-regional cooperation. EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region was the first EU macro-regional strategy with three main objectives:

  • Saving the sea;
  • Connecting the region;
  • Increasing prosperity.

The Baltic Sea Region has a rich history of cooperation in Smart Specialization Strategy. In the previous period, European Territorial Cooperation programmes had supported several projects on Smart Specialization Strategy capacity building and implementation, sharing, learning and exchanging on Smart Specialization Strategy practices, Smart Specialization Strategy networks, development of toolkits for strengthening regional and interregional Smart Specialization Strategies and addressing macro-regional challenges through innovative approaches.

Relying on this background and the specific objectives of the learning events, intended lessons to be learned at the Learning event in the Baltic Sea Region are:

  • How are territorial innovation policies in Sustainable Blue Economy coordinated on the macro-regional level: Baltic Sea Region approach to the facilitation of interregional cooperation in Sustainable Blue Economy innovation – policymaking and implementation (macro-regional Smart Specialization Strategy cooperation, support to value chain development, QH innovation community building, bottom-up and/or top-down approaches)
  • How innovation actors from different territories work together towards achieving mutually beneficial results at the macro-regional level: necessary conditions for the creation of a well-functioning macro-regional level innovation ecosystem, key elements of a successful and operational macro-regional innovation community.

The focus will be on EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, Policy Area Innovation and its work on Smart Specialization, the Submariner Network as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region flagship of macro-regional cooperation on the sustainable blue economy, past and current funding opportunities within Europe to support innovation community building in the Sustainable Blue Economy, Baltic Sea Region support to innovation community building- good practices, challenges and opportunities, finance mechanisms and how to foster Sub-Regional Blue Innovation and Economy Development.

The Agenda is available at the following link.

The BlueAir project is financed under the Interreg ADRION program, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the IPA II Fund.