SUBMARINER Blue Platform Members' Assembly 2021
The SUBMARINERs gathered from 23rd-24th November for the 12th iteration of the annual Members' Assembly in Berlin under the Interreg BSR Blue Platform banner.
Just before the emergence of the dreaded Omicron variant, SUBMARINERs managed to congregate in Berlin under 3G regulations, with over 30 members attending in person and another 10 online over the course of the two-day event. Despite a few technical hiccups along the way in an improvised hybrid event, participants took part in plenary sessions, workshops and a group dinner together to discuss the future direction of the Baltic blue economy.
Tuesday 23rd November
The first day also saw a so-called "Speed Dating Tour" with 4 round tables discussing different topics - 2 rounds each 40 Minutes:
Questions:
- What are the activities / interests / research of network members?
- What are upcoming next issues within these fields?
Topics:
- Ocean Literacy, Citizen Science, Education & Skills
- Circular Economy / Valorization of Waste
- Biodiversity Restoration, Ecosystem Services
- MSP, MPAs, Multi-Use
- Blue Food / Feed
- Blue BioTechnology / Product Development
- Data & Environmental Monitoring
- Regional Strategies / Governance
Presentations:
- The Swedish Blue Food Centre and other initiatives // Fredrik Gröndahl, KTH
- The SUBMARINER Network: Where do we stand? What are our plans? // Angela Schultz-Zehden (SUBMARINER) with Q&A / Input session
- SUBMARINER in Ocean Literacy and Citizen Science // Lisa Simone de Grunt (SUBMARINER)
- The Centre for Sea & Society / Ocean Blues: from anxiety to action // Malin Rosengren (University of Gothenburg)
Wednesday 24th November
The second day included a discussion on SUBMARINER company involvement actions and Project Development Workshops to crystalise stakeholder interests:
Company Involvement Actions:
- Blue Growth Accelerator
- SUBMARINER Catalogue
Topics to work on:
- Agri / aqua collaborations
- Microbiology / high-value compounds from marine biomass
- Carbon capture & storage (CSS) / Compensation measures for ecosystem services
- Valorisation of waste / Circular economy
- ...and many more
Presentations:
- EU Legislation for smoother growth of a blue bioeconomy – true or a dream? // Anda Ikauniece (Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology)
- Seaweed biomass cultivation: from napkin sketch to mechanized harvesting // Gediminas Tamosaitis (Metal Production)
- SUBMARINER services to companies // Efthalia Arvaniti (SUBMARINER)
- Biorefinery for Blue Mussels // Rasha Shtay (Kiel University)
- Preparing for specific Baltic projects INTERREG BSR, Central / South Baltic, Horizon Lighthouse Missions etc. // Angela Schultz-Zehden (SUBMARINER)
- Preparing for Horizon 2022: Open Calls; Process; Interests by members // Angela Schultz-Zehden (SUBMARINER)
