CoordinationandSupportAction

Horizon2020-BG-13-2016GrantAgreement727453

ResearchandinnovationfortheBlueGrowthinItalyandintheMediterranean

TheproposalforanItalianagenda–secondmeetingwithnationalstakeholders

Rome,31July2018

BLUEMEDCSA:H2020-BG-13-2016-GA7274532

ProjectFulltitle

ProjectAcronym BLUEMED

GrantAgreementNo.

Coordinator FABIOTRINCARDI-CNR(Italy)

Projectstartdateandduration 01-10-2016(48months)

Projectwebsite www.bluemed-initiative.eu

DeliverableNr. DeliverableDate

WorkPackageNo 1

WorkPackageTitleProjectcoordination,management,andcommunication

Responsible FabioTrincardiAuthors&

InstitutesAcronyms

Status: Final(F) Draft(D) Reviseddraft(RV)

Disseminationlevel: Public(PU) XConfidential, only formembersof the consortium(CO)

BLUEMEDCSA:H2020-BG-13-2016-GA727453 3

IntroductionLast31stJulyinthepremisesoftheNationalResearchCouncil(CNR)ofItalyinRome,around 80 people took part to the second BLUEMED meeting with nationalstakeholders.Thefollowingisareportpresentingthemainpointsdiscussedduringthemeetingandtheroundtable.Participantsrepresenteddifferentsectorsanddisciplinesasfromthetablebelow.

Themeetingwasalsofollowedviastreaming.

Slot1–TheBLUEMEDInitiative,theBLUEMEDCSAandtheSRIA2018(FabioFava,GSOBLUEMEDWG;FabioTrincardi,CNR,BLUEMEDCSACoordinator)

Fabio Fava, Italian delegate to the BLUEMED Group of Senior Officials,illustratedtheBLUEMEDInitiative,sinceitsgenesisduringtheItalianPresidencyoftheEUCouncil,toitsmissionofimplementingtheVallettaDeclarationanduptotheappointments of delegates from Mediterranean countries within the frame of theGroupofSeniorOfficialsBLUEMEDWorkingGroup(GSOBLUEMEDWG).OneoftheInitiative’s objectives is to promote cooperation/joint actions with the two sub-regional MED Initiatives, “EU Strategy for the Adriatic Ionian Region” (EUSAIR,DGREGIO)andthe“WesternMediterraneanInitiative”ofEUCommission(WESTMED,DGMARE),anditisbeingfulfilledthroughtheparticipationofFabioFavatotheboardofboththeInitiativesthatinturnactivelyparticipatewiththeirrepresentativestheBLUEMEDPolicyPlatform.Furthermore, facilitating andpromoting the adoptionofthe BLUEMED Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) by the borderingMediterraneancountries,liaisingwithrelevantpublicandprivateorganisationsandprogrammesmanagementauthoritiesanddisseminatingBLUEMEDachievementsinhigh-levelpolicyeventsandtowardsmajorframeworkprogrammesforresearchandinnovationarepartoftheBLUEMEDInitiativemission.

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InordertoassessthestateofthecollaborationaroundtheMediterraneanbasin,thepolicy and R&I needs to foster sustainable blue growth in the region and the nextactivities tomeet the local challenges, and to start collecting inputs for SRIA formnon-EUMedcountries,NationalConsultationDayshavebeencarriedoutlastJulyinAlgeria,Tunisia,Jordan,TurkeyandEgypt.ArelevantbudgethasbeendedicatedtoBlue-GrowthunderH2020,withparticularreference to the Societal Challenges pillar, mainly under SC2 (Food security,sustainableagricultureandforestry,marineandmaritimeandinlandwaterresearch,and thebioeconomy),butalsoSC3(Secure,cleanandefficientenergy),SC4(Smart,greenandintegratedtransport)andSC5(Climateaction,resourceefficiencyandrawmaterials).Withaproposed€100billionbudget, thenextEUFrameworkProgramme,HorizonEurope, will have a mission-oriented approach, with potential funding sources forBlue-Growth under Pillar 2 - Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness –ClustersonClimate,EnergyandMobility(€15Blntotalbudget)andFoodandNaturalResources(€10Blntotalbudget).

TheBLUEMEDCSACoordinator,FabioTrincardi,presentedtheBLUEMEDCSAproject results so far. In the framework of theBLUEMED–Research and Innovationinitiativeforbluejobs&growthintheMediterraneanArea,theBLUEMEDCSA,witha4yearsdurationanda€2.998.00budget,gatherstheeffortof11partnersfrom9EUcountriesinordertosupporttheimplementationoftheBLUEMEDInitiative.In the first two years of activities, the scene has been set in order to promote thealignmentofProgrammesandStrategiesandpoolingofresourcesand investments,actively including in the process also non-EU countries bordering the Med basin.Fourplatforms,i.e.workinggroups,onKnowledge,Technology,EconomyandPolicyjoined by the relevant stakeholders at EU level and undergoing a process ofenlargement to non-EU countries in the Med basin, are actively working toconsolidatetheSRIAanddetermineitsImplementationPlan.Meanwhile, the 2018 update of the SRIA, including the input of EU countriesstakeholdershasbeenpublished.Followingafirst,preliminaryanalysisofstrategiesand priorities, resulting in the “Non-EU stakeholders: analysis of R&Dstrategy/policy/programmeandpriorities”report,andtheBLUEMEDTourinnon-EUcountries,thenextupdateprocesshasbeenenlargedtothewholebasin.PanMediterraneandialogue is being facilitated by the delegates to the Group ofSenior Officials BLUEMED Working Group, with several initiatives and milestonesalreadyreachedandtheforthcomingBLUEMEDplatformsworks,meetings(thefirstinBarcelona,23-25October2018,intheframeworkoftheBLUEMEDWeek,oneinJuly2019andoneinJuly2020)andthesupporttotheidentificationoftheBLUEMEDAmbassadorsasawarenessmultipliers(2019).Synergieswith other regional strategies and Initiatives like theEUStrategy for theAdriatic-Ionian Region EUSAIR and the WESTMED, “Towards a Sustainable BlueEconomy Initiative for theWesternMediterranean”, are being promoted through aconstantandstructuredtechnicalinteraction.AcallforStrategicStart-upActions(SuAs)onBlueGrowthhasbeenlaunchedinApril2018, aimedat financing feasibility, foresightorpilot studieson topics relevant fortheBLUEMEDSRIA.TheselectedSuAswillbeawardedupto€32.000thatwillcoverthe costs ofmeetings/workshops as tool to lead to thepublicationofdraft studies.

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Finally,aglimpseonBLUEMEDCSAfutureactivities,withparticularreferencetotheupdatedversionoftheSRIAandtheimplementationplanhasbeengiven.

Slot 2 – Italian proposals in the perspective of next ECFramework Programme “Horizon Europe” (Luca Moretti,CNRLiaisonOfficeinBrussels)LucaMoretti from the CNR LiaisonOffice in Brussels, illustrated the structure andfunctioningoftheECFrameworkProgrammes,thatactnotonlyasfinancingsourcefor research and innovation, but also as a political instrument behindwhichwiderlong-termstrategieslie.After an overview of the last Work Programme, he presented the 9th FrameworkProgramme,HorizonEurope.Withaproposedbudgetof€100billionfor7years,itisthemostambitiousprogrammesofar.Theobjectivesaretoreinforcethescientificbasis of the EU, the capacity for innovation, competitiveness and employment andrealise the citizens’ priorities. Horizon Europe is structured in three Pillars: OpenScience, Global Challenges and Open Innovation. It is mission-oriented, targetingspecific global challenges, this meaning that it will set defined goals, with specifictargetsanditwillworktoachievetheminasettime.Dissemination,communicationandstakeholderinvolvementwillbegivenmoreandmoreimportance.NationalandjointinternationalpositionspapersandrequestsofamendmenttotheproposedFP9have been prepared. As emerging from the Position Paper on mission orientedapproach“MISSIONEUROPE2030”,releasedbyCNRinMay2018,themostrelevantmission in the perspective of Blue Growth and declinable in different areas is“Resilient Europe”: risk assessment map and intervention options for safemanagementandinvestmentsby2030.

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Slot3–The ItalianTechnologicalClusterBIG (Blue ItalianGrowth)(RobertoCimino,PresidentofCNT-BIG)RobertoCimino,PresidentoftheItalianTechnologyClusterBIG(BlueItalianGrowth)presentedtheroleandobjectiveoftheCTN-BIG.Inlinewiththemaininternational,European and national development strategies, its mission is to create a nationalcommunityofpublic-privatestakeholdersinthecontextofthebluemarineeconomy,to promote an innovation-driven blue growth, by fuelling private-public researchpartnershipandtofavourtheintegrationofexistinginfrastructuresandskills.Its goal is to coordinate national stakeholders in order to prepare technologyroadmaps and scenarios, align and integrate regional and national roadmaps withEuropean and Mediterranean ones, support informed policies with policy makers,supportdecision-makingon theallocationof industrialR&I fundsandpromote theintegrationofresearchinfrastructuresandfosterinternationalization.Themaindevelopmenttrajectoriesthathavebeenidentifiedare:(i)MarineHabitatsandCoastalZone;(ii)BlueBiotechnologies;(iii)BlueRenewableEnergy;(iv)AbioticMarine Resources; (v) Biotic Marine Resources; (vi) Shipbuilding and MarineRobotics. In parallel, the cross-cutting issues of Skill and Jobs, ResearchInfrastructuresandSustainableMarineExploitationwillbeconsidered.The 3-years Strategic Implementation Plan of the Cluster will identify BIGactivities in order to prepare and update the technology roadmaps to develop theBlueEconomyandsupporttheirimplementation,alsothroughtheinvolvementoftheBIGcommunityandnetwork.

Slot4–The ItalianWhitePaper (MaurizioRiberad’Alcalà,SZN,ItalianNationalPivotfortheKnowledgePlatform)Maurizio Ribera introduced to the audience the document “TheBLUEMED ItalianWhitePaper: anoverviewof relevance,obstaclesandproposalsof thekeysectorsforaBlueGrowth”.StemmingfromtheinteractionandtheengagementoftheItalianscientific community and relevant marine and maritime stakeholders with thecontribution andendorsement of key relevantMinistries, namely theMinistry ofEducation,UniversityandResearch -MIUR,EconomicDevelopment–MISE (whoserepresentative is the ItalianPivotwithin theEconomyPlatform),Agricultural,FoodandForestryPolicies-MIPAAFT,InfrastructureandTransport-MIT,ForeignAffairsandInternationalCooperation-MAE,EconomyandFinances-MEF,CulturalHeritageandActivities-MIBACandDefence, thedocument illustratestheItalianpositiononBlueGrowth,recognisingthateffectivestepstowardsa“blue”economycanonlybeachieved by transcending sectorial priorities, enhancing dialogue betweencommunities that usually do not talk to each other, but instead should coexist andeven develop synergies. TheWhite Paper focuses on the identification of how themostrelevantR&IchallengesforBlueGrowthcanbemoreefficientlytackled.Startingfrom a detailed analysis of relevant activities and objectives for each of the mainmarineandmaritimesocio-economicdrivers(food,transport,tourism,chemicalsandmaterials,energy,security,ecosystemhealth),gapsandbarrierstoBlueGrowthareidentified and different approaches to overcome them are suggested. Cross-cutting

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high-levelprioritiesaswellaspragmaticactionsforresearchandinnovationtobesharedatnationalandMediterraneanlevelsareproposed.

RoundtableFollowing the presentations, a round table with relevant policy makers andrepresentativesoftheItalianMinistries,moderatedbyAlbaL’Astorina,hasbeenhold.The discussion focused on the collaboration between the academia and researchsector with Delegates from the Ministry of Education, University and Research(MIUR), leading the BLUEMED Initiative, the Ministry of Economic Development(MISE), which is represented in the BLUEMED Policy Platform, the Ministry ofAgricultural,FoodandForestryPoliciesandofTourism(MIPAAFT), theMinistryofInfrastructureandTransport (MIT), theMinistryofCulturalHeritageandActivities(MIBAC).

BLUEMEDrecognizesthenecessityofastrengthcooperationamongstakeholdersinorder to overcome fragmentation of competences and interests. First steps in thisdirection are the both the SRIA, which is the result of consultations that involvedmany actors at the national and international level, and the Italian White Paper,whichwaswrittenwiththecontributionofallministriespresentattheroundtable.Starting fromthis “pieceofroadso fardone”,canwetry toenteramoreoperativephase? If so, which aspects of SRIA or of WP should be strengthened and whichcriticalissuesaretobefacedinorderfortheWPtobecomeanoperationalguidancedocument?Whatactions/strategiesinplaceorinthepipelinewillcontributetothedevelopmentoftheblueeconomyinItalyandtheMediterranean?Howtoflowintoguidelines,directives,strategies?

MIUR delegate, Domenico De Martinis, highlighted the role of the BLUEMED toaddressR&IneedsoftheMediterraneanregion,asrelevantnotonlyfortheEUMedmemberstatesbutforallEU.Asuccessstorymadepossiblebytheovercomeofsingleprioritiesintocommonones.Beyondresearchneeds,economic,politicalandsecurityissues need to be duly taken into consideration to tackle bottlenecks. The Italiandelegation to therelevantG7workinggroupaddressed theneed tobetterconsidertheseasvstheoceans.TheroleofMISE,representedbyMarinaSacco,onBlueGrowthactivities,suchasthemanagement of offshore platform decommissioning, has increased starting from2014, in parallel with the activation of relevant networks e.g. Clypea on off-shoresecurity.Inthenextyears, itwillbeimportanttomakeresearchresultstransferredintotheregulationsaspartoftheactivepolicies.MIPAAFT delegate, Riccardo Rigillo, highlighted the relevance of this initiative, inparticularifweconsiderthatthecontexthaschangedfordifferentcauses,includingnatural as climate changeandpolitical as theexit ofUS from theArea. Italy is in acentralpositionintheMediterraneanandthushastoplayacoordinationrole,frompolicy to research. Maritime consciousness has to raise not only at the level ofapplicationofEUDirectivesbutinunderstandingtherelevanceofthesustainabilityofresources for theeconomy, theenergyefficiency,coordinationandshareofgoodpractices.Aquacultureisasectorwithextremelygoodjobopportunities.AtFAOlevel,smallscalefisheriesandartisanalfisheriesareunderattention.Intheframeworkofthe General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), Italy led a

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conference on sanitary, econosystem approach and the governance. Strengthens istherebutmoreattentionhastobegiventotheenforcementofsomelaws.The MIT, represented by Ciro Tuccillo of the Coast Guard - Port Authorities, alsoconsideredtheWhitePapernecessarysinceinreportsinwrittenformthestateoftheartandtheneedsoftheItalianBlueGrowth.Atpolicylevel,theregulationscenario,e.g. onmaritime protection needs to be adequate. Integrationwith all initiatives iskeytobringtoactionsforblueeconomy.Coastsguardscontributedinparticularonsafetyandsecurityissues.MIBAC delegate Alessandra Priante announced first that tourism related activitieshavesincerecentlybeenmovedundertheMinistryofAgriculture,FoodandForestryPolicies. Valuing the methodologies implemented, transversal working groups,research is the fil rouge able to keep together different sectors. Sustainability iscrucial for the cultural heritage; an asset whose governancemechanism has to beproperlyaddressed inparticularconsideringthattourismgeneratesthe13%oftheGDP. As tourism target, the Sea (and its biodiversity) will be a priority in theupcomingstrategies.Thesewillfaceover-tourismasaglobalphenomenonthatneedsto be related to the scarcity of resources and thus adequatelymanaged, at first byfillingtheknowledgegaps.DIFESA delegate Carmelo Romeo illustrated themany active collaborations of theMinistryontheSeasectors,asaddressedbythenationalplanonmilitaryresearch,aswell as at EU level, by the overarching SRIA of the EUDefenceAgency, setting theframeworkforthepreparatoryactivitiesofdualprojectsactions.ThedevelopmentofBLUEMEDactionswillbesupportedalsoaccordingtoalignmentprinciple.DiscussionThe representative of theMinistry of TheMinistry for Environment, Land and SeaProtection-MATTMcommitstofollowtheprocess.Atagenerallevel,theBLUEMEDismainlylinkedtotheIntegratedMaritimePolicypromotedbyDG-R&IandDG-MAREinvolved.WhilesustainabledevelopmentismoreunderthecompetencesofDG-ENV.Since growth cannot raise forever, a blue sustainable development has to bepursued. The approach is to stimulate the demand and adequate the offerconsequently. In the perspective of managing the impacts, the following questionsneedtobeanswered:observingtheSeausedasanautoroute,canwedematerialisethe maritime transport relying on the Maritime Spatial Planning? These aspectsshould be deepened it in theWhite Paper also to possibly facilitate a shift from across-over approach between different DGs to the identification of a single target.Followingthispattern,decisionmakers,informedbyscientists,willvaluetheBasin.The academic inform politics and the system need the right energy to reach theobjective.According to the Italian Pivot to theBLUEMEDKnowledge Platform, the globalstandard is set on growth. In this framework, the scientific community comes asprovideroftheproperinstrumentstosupportdecisionmaking.Anyways,thedisputeontheincompatibilitybetweendevelopmentandgrowthshallbebetterexploredintheWhitePaper.The MIUR representative highlights the science diplomacy role, e.g. in the 5+5dialogue on blue economy or in the G7, the vision on the next EC FrameworkProgrammeforR&IHorizonEuropeandthePRIMAArt.185,with50B€ in5years.

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The latest, althoughnot including specifically "sea"projects,will in any caseplayaroleintermsofBlueEconomyor,ifwewant,MEDeconomy.WhenItalyworksintheMed,itcancreateadiplomaticstructureincludingdifferentinterestsofnon-EUMedcountriesanddifferentEUeconomicinterests.Other specific suggestionshavebeenaddressed from theaudience, includingat thethematic level, the request to the Italian research communities to implement astrategy for sustainable aquaculture by farming key species, as it successfullyhappenedinothercountries.TheenergypotentialintheMedhasalsotobeuntappedatthepolicylevel,consideringthegoodresultsachievedbyresearch.Innovationdistrictsare interested inhowtheCTN-BIGcanwork transversallywithwhat is existing at local level. In theWorking Group, associations of professionalssuch as the National Council of Architects can be engaged as stakeholders thatmaterially build the relevant infrastructures. The transversal role of clusters isemphasisedbytheCTN-BIG,inparticularinrelationtotheefficientinteractionwiththeBLUEMEDInitiative.FinalinterventionfocusesontherecognitionofthekeyachievementoftheBLUEMEDItalian community, concretely represented by the fact that for the first time allMinistriesconvenedtogethertodiscusstheMediterraneanBlueGrowth.RelyingontheItalianWhitePaperasagoodreferencedocument,itisthekeynowtoconsolidatethissystem,avoidingpossibledispersion.In his closing remarks, the BLUEMED CSA Coordinator launched the ambitiousproposalofjoiningtheeffortstoimplementresearchandinnovationactivitiesalsoontheOceans,givingtheMediterraneancommunitiesaglobalperspective.At first, theMediterraneanBlueGrowthchallengehastobewonbybringingEuropeannon-MedcountriesintotheworksoftheMedblueworld.