Blue Economy Business and Science Forum – The Hamburg Summit 2016

The European Commission is organising the first Blue Economy Business and Science Forum in Hamburg on 12 and 13 September.

Commissioner Karmenu Vella, responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Commissioner Carlos Moedas, responsible for Research, Science and Innovation will deliver keynote speeches at the opening together with other high level representatives of governments, industry, finance and science.

The Commission Communication on "Innovation in the Blue Economy" proposed a Blue Economy Business and Science Forum, a platform for business, science, finance and policy representatives to identify bottlenecks and explore opportunities for innovation in the Blue Economy that could contribute to growth.

This Summit will gather together around 200 blue economy stakeholders who will be able to  propose solutions for boosting the European competitiveness in marine and maritime technologies, increasing  collaboration between science and industrial sectors, demonstrating the value of innovative technologies, scaling them up and bringing them to the market. They will also examine solutions for clearing bottlenecks that hinder the commercialisation of innovative blue technologies in the EU. Making investments in the marine environment is costly, therefore access to finance is crucial.  Participants will also analyse how the new Commission proposal on the European Innovation Council could provide opportunities for Blue Economy entrepreneurs and innovators.