The Horizon Europe “BlueMissionMed: Lighthouse coordinating and supporting the innovation ecosystem for a Healthy, Pollution-Free Mediterranean Sea” project is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) aimed at supporting the implementation of the EU Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030 in the Mediterranean basin.
The project is a multi-actor, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary consortium comprising 16 partners from 7 Mediterranean countries, including 6 public R&D institutions, 5 NGOs, 3 industry associations, and 2 SMEs. In this project, the Institute of Marine Sciences at METU (Middle East Technical University) will act as a bridge between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, contributing to the transfer of Mission Ocean strategies and solutions to BlueMissionMed countries.
The EU Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030 provides a holistic and coherent framework to develop a systemic approach for assessing and renewing the basin's hydrosphere, a critical need in the Mediterranean region.
The BlueMissionMed project aims to establish and strengthen a Mediterranean Lighthouse that supports the development and dissemination of transformative innovative technological, social, business, and governance solutions to achieve a 30-50% reduction in basin hydrosphere pollution by 2030.
In pursuit of this goal, BlueMissionMed seeks to inspire, inform, mobilize, connect, and empower all actors who can play a role in preventing and eliminating pollution in the Mediterranean and its waters.
The project will:
Enhance a well-functioning, basin-scale innovation ecosystem that is attractive to investors and businesses,
Facilitate consistency, alignment, and monitoring of ongoing EU, national, and local policies, initiatives, and actions in the Mediterranean basin,
Provide technical services, governance frameworks, and business models to support and ensure the sustainable socio-economic development of the Mediterranean basin,
Engage all stakeholders, including society, through awareness-raising and citizen science approaches.
The project supports the development and dissemination of transformative innovative solutions in technological, social, business, and governance fields.
Keywords: Mediterranean, Mission Ocean, lighthouse, pollution prevention, innovation ecosystem
