Ecomondo 2024: BlueMissionMed’s Italian Hub Drives Stakeholder Engagement and Innovation Transfer
On 6 November 2024 at ECOMONDO, the BlueMissionMed Italian HUB organised the conference “Boosting technology, business models and societal engagement for the implementation of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters in the Mediterranean”, in collaboration with Ecomondo STC, the European Commission, BlueMed GSOs, CNR, BusinessMed, Ecorys, FVA, CPMR-IMC, Prep4Blue, RHE-MEDiation.
The conference brought around 60 Mediterranean stakeholders contributing to the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030”. This pivotal event was moderated by Francesco Camonita from CPMR, with the objective of bridging the gap between innovative solutions, policymakers, and the business community.
After the introduction of Francesco Petracchini, CNR DSSTTA Director and the keynote speech delivered by Elisabetta Balzi, from DG RTD of the European Commission, who explained the objectives and ambition of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, a series of inspirational innovative solutions, targeting different industrial sectors and covering the geographical variability of the Mediterranean, have been presented in cooperation with other EU funded projects active in the Mediterranean area, namely RHE-MEDiation (represented by Luca Ricci), INSPIRE (represented by Fantina Madricardo and Nicola Rubini), REMEDIES (represented by MariaCristina Cocca) and UPSTREAM( represented by Michele Pognani).
After this session, a round table with Policy Makers, involving three Italian Regions: Apulia, (represented by Raffaele Sannicandro), Emilia Romagna (represented by Elisabetta Maini) and Lazio (represented by Grazia Gulluni), was conducted by BlueMissionMed to identify opportunities and challenges for the implementation of innovative transformative solutions in Italy.
Main takeaways message from this discussion can be summarised in the following considerations:
- There is the need to “break the silos” and stimulate further multistakeholder engagement, to facilitate further dialogue, matching, networking and synergy among solution providers and solution implementers, including public authorities and private investors
- Policymakers underlined to need to receive further support in mapping and identifying providers across national and regional territories for the implementation of solutions, in order to direct local calls for projects and funding for EU Mission and sustainability implementation
- Collective governance agreements (such as river contracts) can be a useful tools for creating new agreement spaces among stakeholders where each one can contribute through their specific governance and means, while being joined at working groups and joint tables for discussions and best approach
During the event, the winners of the Society4Med award, lauched by BlueMissionMed project in collaboration with the European Commission, shared their inspirational good practices, to stimulate similar activities across and beyond the Mediterranean basin.
The two winners, namely #adopteunpad: The Superpower of Commitment for Our Seas and Oceans by Herocean for the category Awareness and Communication Campaigns/Activities, and Surfing for Science by Universitat de Barcelona & Surfrider Foundation Europe for the citizen Science category, have been awarded by Elisabetta Balzi.
This award highlights the essential role of citizens and society in achieving the Mission’s goals, emphasizing the collective effort needed to restore our ocean and waters. All details on the award and on the special mentions for each category can be found in the dedicated news. This session, conducted by Susanna Albertini (FVA New Media Research), involved two experts Stefania Campogianni (WWF Mediterranean) and Francesco Falcieri (CNR ISMAR) who highlighted the “ingredients” for successful awareness and communication as well as citizen science initiatives.
After the final remarks from the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, provided by Andreea Strachinescu, from DG MARE of the European Commission, the conference was concluded by Fedra Francocci, BlueMissionMed project manager.
After the event, a networking session took place, offering participants a unique opportunity to connect with business experts, investors, and the winners of the Society4Med award. This activity was designed to foster collaboration and encourage participation in future initiatives, further amplifying the societal and environmental impact of the Mission.
Ecomondo 2024 has proven to be a pivotal platform, with Italy’s BlueMissionMed HUB mobilizing national stakeholders, fostering opportunities for networking, partnership synergies, and the transfer of innovative projects to support the Mission’s objectives. Industry and political stakeholders engaged in meaningful dialogue to explore impactful approaches to sustainable territorial development and the alignment of financing strategies to achieve these goals.
