ERRIN Blue Economy Working Group

The European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN) is a Brussels-based association gathering around 120 regional organisation from more than 20 European countries. ERRIN supports its members to enhance their regional and local research and innovation capacities and further develop their R&I ecosystems. Through its 13 Working Groups and two Task Forces, ERRIN aims to bring the place-based perspective to EU research and innovation policy and programmes while offering a platform for knowledge exchange and partnership building.

The ERRIN Blue Economy Working Group gathers public authorities and their R&I ecosystems from regions across Europe to foster learning and exchanges on research, innovation and policy initiatives in marine, maritime and water systems. Sustainability, economic development, climate adaptation and digital challenges related to the ocean, seas and water sectors are key issues for the Working Group, which aims to support information sharing, peer-learning, engagement and partnership building among its members.

The Working Group has over the past years organised discussions and exchanges of regional best practices on topics such as pollution in marine and water systems, water scarcity and reuse, and nature-based solutions to address local water-related challenges. In 2024, the group will explore best practices around nature restoration of marine ecosystems and rivers.

The Blue Economy Working Group has followed the development of Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ since 2020 and actively contributed to its development and implementation. The group has developed several papers providing input on the structure and content of the Mission and outlining regions’ support needs, and has organised multiple dialogues involving regional stakeholders and representatives of the Mission Board, the Mission Secretariat and the Mission projects. In 2023, a focus group meeting was organised in collaboration with the Mission Implementation Platform to discuss the Mission Charter and support services offered by the Mission. These activities have been organised with the intention to strengthen municipalities and regions’ participation and role in the Mission and to ensure that the Mission’s offer corresponds to local and regional challenges and needs.

Having been involved in the design and implementation of the five EU Missions since their beginning, ERRIN and its Blue Economy Working Group will continue to contribute to fostering synergies between Mission Ocean and Waters and the other EU Missions.

Furthermore, the Working Group has fostered partnership building among regions and their stakeholders by supporting the development of EU projects under the LIFE and Horizon Europe programmes to address current challenges in our ocean, seas and waters. The group is also following and participating in several EU Partnerships, such as the Water4All Partnership and the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, and the S3 Partnerships on Water Smart Territories and Maritime Sustainable Blue Bioeconomy.