BLUES LINKS – New skills for the blue economy.
The so-called “traditional sectors” of the blue economy (fishing, aquaculture, but also nautical services) have always formed the backbone of the blue economy in the EU. However, many of these sectors currently face numerous challenges due to the lack of innovative pathways aimed at increasing the capacity of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the workforce in blue economy domains. This is especially true for some maritime areas and SMEs, far from innovation centers, where this lack prevents the development of new sustainable and smart business solutions, and where the unemployment rate is still very high. The BLUES LINKS project intends to reverse this situation, by promoting the process of innovation and S3 smart specialization of SMEs in the traditional sectors of the blue economy and sea-related businesses, improving their ability to attract new skilled labor. Through the necessary cross-border cooperation of development agencies, innovation centers, universities and business support organizations, with the aim of exchanging and providing different innovative and IT solutions and mechanisms for connecting supply and demand between SMEs and job seekers in the domains of the blue economy, the project specifically activates:
1. BLUES LINKS S3 network of innovation hubs, which supports 80 SMEs with a catalog of innovative and IT business solutions/services;
2. Three connecting mechanisms, which include an online platform for SMEs and jobseekers in Blue Economy domains, three hackathon competitions open to the participation of 154 people, including pupils/students and SMEs, and three cross-border open job fairs. In particular, the organization of a hackathon competition to facilitate the meeting between labor supply and demand in traditional Blue Economy sectors represents a new challenge in the innovation sector, creating an open space for technical and scientific comparisons between SMEs and skilled labor.
GOALS: 1. Create a cross-border network that promotes the adoption of key principles of S3 specialization strategies in the traditional sectors of the Blue Economy and maritime affairs. 2. Provide innovative and smart services for SMEs in the traditional Blue Economy and Maritime sectors to drive transformative pathways. 3. Activate three continuous linkage mechanisms with the aim of improving employment capacity in the traditional sectors of the Blue Economy and maritime affairs at the cross-border level. Create a cross-border network that encourages the adoption of key principles of S3 specialization strategies in the traditional sectors of the Blue Economy and maritime affairs. To provide innovative and smart services for SMEs in the traditional Blue Economy and Maritime sectors to drive transformative pathways. Activate three continuous linkage mechanisms with the aim of improving employment capacity in the traditional sectors of the Blue Economy and maritime affairs at the cross-border level.
USERS: Small and medium enterprises in the blue sector, universities and other research organizations in the blue sector, high schools - orientations in the blue sector, local governments and civil society organizations interested in the development of the blue sector in Italy and Croatia.
PARTNERS: DELTA 2000 Consortium Company with limited liability (IT); Upper Adriatic technology park "Andrea Galvani" (IT); Confcooperative Veneto Regional Union (IT); Fisheries Local Action Group Costa dei Trabocchi (IT); University of Salento (IT); Zadar County Development Agency ZADRA NOVA (HR) Association for nature and environment conservation and sustainable development Argonauta (HR) ; University of Dubrovnik (HR).
DONORS: Cross-border cooperation program Italy - Croatia (European Union)
DURATION: 1 April 2024 - 30 September 2026
BUDGET: 189,300.00 (partner share)
