Recognising innovation towards a sustainable blue economy in the Atlantic
Their achievements in advancing the blue economy in the Atlantic region while preserving marine ecosystems and helping to mitigate climate change have earned the EU-funded Horizon Europe projects C-FAARER and A-AAgora recognition in the Atlantic Project Awards. Presented at the 11th Atlantic Stakeholder Platform Conference in Bordeaux on 22 November 2024, the awards showcase success stories of projects promoting key priorities of the Atlantic Strategy.
Health, resilience and cooperation
C-FAARER and A-AAgora were two of six winners recognised for their outstanding performance. The awards were granted in five award categories corresponding to the pillars of the Atlantic Action Plan 2.0: Atlantic Ports, Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy, Marine Renewable Energy, Healthy Oceans and Resilient Coasts, and International Cooperation. C-FAARER was awarded in the Healthy Oceans and Resilient Coasts category. Launched in 2023, the project supports ocean farmers in the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin to develop community-driven business models for regenerative ocean farming and policymakers to take enabling actions. C-FAARER shared the spotlight in this category with MSP-OR, a project supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund that helps national authorities with the implementation of maritime spatial planning in the outermost regions of the Macaronesia and French Guiana. The category in which A-AAgora received recognition was that of International Cooperation. Since its launch in 2022, the project has taken effective action to reduce pressures in coastal areas by means of ecosystem-based management and nature-based solutions that boost resilience to climate change and mitigate its impacts. The FLORA project received an Atlantic Project Award in the Marine Renewable Energy category. Supported by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, the project is developing an industrial-scale prototype of an ocean station with renewable energy generation and oceanographic capabilities. In the Atlantic Ports category, recognition was earned by the Interreg project HYDEA, which is testing the use of hydrogen and methanol as an energy alternative in the fleets and vehicles of the ports in the Atlantic area. The Blue Skills and Ocean Literacy category award went to another Interreg project, Blueskilling Innovation. The project is providing individuals with the skills needed to drive blue innovation, enhance industrial competitiveness, and speed up the implementation of marine renewables and green shipping technology across the Atlantic Area. The winners were chosen out of 23 very diverse applications, the goal being to select those projects that more effectively further the goals of the Atlantic Action Plan 2.0 and have the greatest potential for replicability. The C-FAARER (Community-driven Farming for the Atlantic and Arctic sea basins through REgeneRative aquaculture) project ends in 2025. A-AAgora (Blueprint for Atlantic-Arctic Agora on cross-sectoral cooperation for restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems and increased climate resilience through transformative innovation) ends in 2026. For more information, please see: C-FAARER project website A-AAgora project website
Keywords
C-FAARER, A-AAgora, Atlantic, Arctic Sea, ocean, maritime, marine, Atlantic Project Award, blue economy, climate change, Atlantic Action Plan 2.0