Helena Vieira, researcher of CESAM/DAO and ERA Chair Holder of the BESIDE project, was invited by the CAA – Atlantic Arc Commission (whose national partner is the CCDR-LVT) to participate in the process of developing recommendations for public policies aimed at promoting an innovation ecosystem in the Blue Economy.
These recommendations aim to boost the growth of start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Atlantic region by improving access to finance, promoting gender diversity in the sector and removing regulatory barriers to innovation.
According to the researcher, “the invitation to participate as a member of the Academy, representing the University of Aveiro (CESAM/DAO), but also as a European specialist in the Blue Economy, is a privilege that I particularly appreciate, as it shows that science is increasingly being called to the table of important decisions. I am pleased to see that my contributions have been included in this document, particularly with regard to emerging sectors such as the blue bioeconomy. I would also like to highlight the contributions made on the need to promote circularity and sustainability in the design of public funding programmes and support for the development of the blue economy, and also in the absolute need to encourage productive and transformative innovation in the most traditional sectors, which are the pillars of the blue economy and that should not be neglected in this transformation of Europe’s double transition.”
The work developed aims to strengthen the innovation scenario in the Atlantic region, especially in areas related to the blue economy, such as the digitalisation of ports and aquaculture, marine renewable energies or even blue biotechnology, and culminated in the production of a document that lists a set of public policy recommendations to European Union decision-makers to make the Atlantic innovation ecosystem more robust, dynamic and interconnected. The recommendations presented are based on the experience of the European FAN-BEST project, in meetings with innovation agents in the Atlantic area and stakeholders involved in Atlantic blue innovation projects.
The FAN-BEST project is an INTERREG project in the Atlantic Area, which began in January 2019 and ran until June 30, 2023. This project focused on transferring research results to SMEs in the Atlantic Area related to sectors of the Economy Azul, thanks to the establishment or leverage of a network of agents that act as financiers and advisors for Start-ups and SMEs.
Read the document
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS How to build a strong Atlantic Innovation Ecosystem
Find out more about the Atlantic Arc Commission here.
Text by: CESAM in collaboration with Helena Vieira. Translation by Dionisia Laranjeiro
