Ocean innovation as source of sustainable growth
The European Commission has presented an action plan for innovation in the Blue Economy to help use ocean resources sustainably and drive growth and jobs in Europe.
Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: “Today, we put the building blocks in place so that tomorrow’s generation of Europeans will have the knowledge and skills to better manage our oceans and draw the full benefits they can provide us, while respecting the balance of the ecosystem of the sea.”
The Commission identified a number of hurdles to overcome, including limited knowledge of the sea, maritime research efforts between EU member states not being linked up, and the European workforce of tomorrow needing more engineers and scientists to apply new technologies in the marine environment.
Adding her thoughts, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: “We probably know more about the surface of the Moon and even Mars than we do about the deep sea floor. Maritime innovation has enormous potential for our economy, and will help us meet challenges like climate change and food security. Blue Growth is therefore a focus area for Horizon 2020, our new research and innovation programme.”
The Commission’s action plan proposes to deliver a digital map of the entire seabed of European waters by 2020. Also proposed is an online information platform on marine research projects in Horizon 2020, as well as nationally funded marine research, and to share results from completed projects; the platform should be operational by the end of 2015. The possibility of forming a Knowledge and Innovation Community for the Blue Economy after 2020 will also be examined.
A Blue Economy Business and Science Forum will be developed and will involve the private sector, scientists, and NGOs to help shape the blue economy of the future and share ideas and results.
Blue Growth is a focus area under Horizon 2020, with a specific €145m budget for 2014-2015.
