The cooperation will cover both the traditional and emerging sectors of the Mediterranean blue economy
During the final conference of CALLMEBLUE (Cluster Alliance Med Blue), held in Tunis, the national technological cluster “Blue Italian Growth” and the Federazione del Mare, which together represent the Italian maritime ecosystem and serve as the technological and industrial backbone of the Italian blue economy and as proactive actors in North-South cooperation within the WestMED Initiative, through the Italian National Hub and within the WestMED Maritime Clusters Alliance (WMCA), signed an operational cooperation agreement with the Tunisian maritime cluster aimed at promoting joint initiatives in research, innovation, technology transfer, investments, and skills development across the entire blue economy.
Cluster Big was represented by its president Giorgio Ricci Maccarini, the Federazione del Mare by its secretary general Laurence Martin, and the Tunisian Maritime Cluster by its president Emna Sohlobji. Recognizing the respective complementary roles of the Parties (cluster BIG as a national platform for research, innovation, technological development, and technology transfer; FdM as the representative of Italian maritime industries and services; and the Tunisian cluster as a driver of the sustainable development of the blue economy and the development of industrial capacities in the Southern Mediterranean) the Parties agree to cooperate across the entire spectrum of the blue economy, strengthening synergies between science, industry, and policy, in close coherence with the aforementioned strategies.
This cooperation will cover the following macro-areas and value chains, reflecting both the traditional and emerging sectors of the Mediterranean blue economy: Marine Environment, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Blue Bioeconomy, Maritime Transport, Shipbuilding and Nautical Industries, Offshore engineering, energy and water systems, Tourism and coastal communities – including, Knowledge, skills and technology transfer, Start-ups, SMEs and the Innovation Ecosystem, Investment and Cooperation Platforms.
Through these thematic areas, the Parties intend to consolidate a Mediterranean partnership for innovation and sustainability, leveraging complementary strengths to develop shared projects, promote the exchange of skills and knowledge, and foster responsible investments and technology transfer across all dimensions of the blue economy.
