SeaTecHub: Croatia-Cyprus Excellence Hub on Eco-Innovative Technologies for Healthy and Productive Seas

Blue Economy represents an important economic source in Croatia and Cyprus with around 10% of jobs in each country being related to Blue Economy. Thinking on this fact, the main goal of the SeaTecHub project is to strengthen Croatian and Cyprus place-based innovation ecosystems and improve access to excellence for R&I actors by cross-border collaboration on a common strategy and alongside value adding chains within the area of eco-innovative technologies for healthy and productive seas, focusing on sectors 1. Aquaculture and fisheries, 2. Smart ports, 3. Maritime security and protection, 4. Research and Education, and 5. Maritime technologies. To do so a set of measures including joint strategy, action and investment plans, joint R&I projects and knowledge exchange activities is being implemented. This paper reports on the initial project work related to the joint strategy and other activities during the first months of the project.