Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1493026
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2023 4 HERITAGE MCST launches first co-funded joint call for R&I proposals in the blue economy THE Malta Council for Sci- ence and Technology (MCST) within the Parliamentary Sec- retariat for Youth, Research and Innovation launched to- day the first Co-funded Joint Call for R&I proposals entitled "The way forward: a thriving sustainable blue economy for a brighter future". MCST is participating in the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP), under the Horizon Europe Programme, along with 59 other entities from 25 countries. This part- nership is aligned to the the- matic area of 'Marine and Mar- itime Technology' which is one of the 6 priority areas listed in Malta's Smart Specialisation Strategy for the period 2021- 2027. The vision of the SBEP is to enable a just and inclusive tran- sition to a regenerative and cir- cular blue economy that con- tributes to restoring the ocean's health, resilience and the ser- vice it provides to people, by being climate neutral, sustaina- ble and productive. Through this Call, MCST will support local stakeholders from the private and public sector to collaborate with internation- al partners on joint research project proposals with a local budget of €500,000. The Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Research and Inno- vation, Keith Azzopardi Tan- ti explained the government's efforts in improving particular sectors, such as the Blue Econ- omy, as part of the Smart Spe- cialisation Strategy. "Thanks to a planned and thorough research we were able to choose the main sectors to focus on for the years to come," said Azzopardi Tanti, adding that these will contribute to a more sustained and sustainable economy. He concluded by saying that the projects which will be cho- sen involving the Blue Economy are a perfect fit in this govern- ment's strategy. The Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Tech- nology, Dr. Tonio Portughese said that "the Blue Economy is definitely not a new concept for Malta, a concept that has devel- oped with our history, adapt- ing to the circumstances of the day, but always playing a vital role for the economic and en- vironmental well-being of our islands and their people. Our participation in the Sustaina- ble Blue Economy Partnership, which is an EU 'Horizon Eu- rope' co-funded partnership, was a logical and natural step forward." He added that this partnership enables an unprec- edented effort to pool research and innovation investments and align national programmes at pan-European scale, taking into consideration all the Euro- pean seas and oceans, including the Mediterranean. This first joint call aims to support transnational research and innovation projects ad- dressing one of the five (5) pri- ority areas below, namely: • Ocean Digital Twin at sub-sea-basin scale • Blue Generation Marine Structures • Planning and Managing Sea-Uses • Healthy 'Blue Food' under a 'One Health' approach • Enabling the transition of blue food production These five priority areas were selected to maximise participa- tion while reinforcing the Eu- ropean blue economy through innovative solutions and im- proved resilience of marine ecosystems. Projects in this co-funded call must be devel- oped at a pan-European level and in different European sea basins to ensure that projects provide impact-driven contri- butions to the transformation into a blue economy for a more resilient future and towards carbon neutrality targets, fol- lowing an impact pathway ap- proach. Looking beyond just the direct economic dimension, the part- nership will contribute to the goals of the Mission Ocean & Waters, in particular by boost- ing the transformation towards a climate-neutral, sustainable, productive and competitive blue economy by 2030. The Partnership has often been de- scribed as Horizon Europe's blue arm of the Green Deal, which will bring about the tran- sition of Europe to climate-neu- trality by 2050. SBEP will sup- port the implementation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particular- ly Goal 14: "Life Below Water". The planned investments over seven years, for the whole part- nership are expected to reach €450 Million. The Council will be organising further informative sessions. Interested applicants can obtain more information by accessing the SBEP and MCSTwebpages or sending an email at: eusub- missions.mcst@gov.mt. Dr. Tonio Portughese MCST Chairman Keith Azzopardi Tanti PS for Youth, Research and Innovation