The Chamber of Economy of Montenegro has organized a two-day hybrid meeting of BLUEAIR project partners on March 9th and 10th, 2022.
The BLUEAIR project aims to improve the institutional capacities of ADRION countries in the area of joint implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) in the area of blue growth at the international level. It is planned through the improvement of institutional capacity to achieve direct influence on administrative capacity, development of innovations and economic model, as well as assistance in the transition to policies based on knowledge and innovation.
This project was launched out of the need to balance the development level of all participating countries in the phase of development of innovation ecosystems and expertise.
The participants of the meeting were greeted by Tanja Radusinovic, Director of the CEM Project Sector and Adela Franja from the Interreg ADRION Secretariat.
During the meeting, there were discussions on the activities by work packages. In the following period, each of the partners will organize a workshop based on a unique format that will emphasize the importance of innovation policies for blue growth and contribute to the identification of major challenges and opportunities for strengthening cooperation in blue growth in the Adriatic-Ionian region. The results of all workshops will be presented in a White Paper containing recommendations on common challenges and opportunities.
During the second day, the participants of the meeting attended the online seminar “S3 Regional Cooperation in Sustainable Blue Economy – Linking macro-regional strategy and marine strategy”. The Seminar represented projects aimed at improving blue economies such as BLUEAIR, BLUE BIO MED, ESPON TEVI 2050 and WestMED. A special part of the gathering was the panel discussion “Connecting through S3 thematic platforms for a sustainable blue economy” where participants said that Smart Specialization Strategies must have a clear vision of what the Region needs. They also stressed the need to connect with different stakeholders in the exchange of knowledge, skills, technology, research, products and services. The EUSAIR Blue Growth Office has proposed the introduction of innovation vouchers which will help fisheries and aquaculture companies to develop smaller blue growth and innovation projects.
The BLUEAIR project is funded through the ADRION program and 12 partners from EU and IPA countries are involved in its implementation. The Chamber of Economy of Montenegro and IEC Tehnopolis are partners from Montenegro, while the Ministry of Economic Development has the status of an associate partner.