MARINNONET is a collaborative initiative of key actors of the quadruple helix of Canarias, Galicia, and País Vasco (ES), Bretagne (FR), Northern & Western and Southern (IE), Norte and Centro (PT), dedicated to advancing Marine Biotechnology Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I).
Our network aims to leverage the collective and complementary competences and capacities to the common benefit of the blue innovation ecosystems of the Atlantic Area (AA), to enhance competitiveness within the European and global Blue Economy, while promoting sustainable use of marine resources, contributing to the adaptation to climate
Mission
Through this new transnational R&D&I cooperation network, MARINNONET seeks to boost the innovation capacity of the AA Blue Biotech sector. Fostering open innovation initiatives and market-driven R&D&I activities that engage both innovators and innovation facilitators. Pilot actions and projects will showcase the diverse and impactful Blue Biotech innovation pathways that our network is able to stimulate.
Objectives
MARINNONET main objective is to establish a transnational R&D&I cooperation network focused on fostering market-driven activities in Blue Biotechnology. By leveraging the capacities of different regions within the Atlantic Area (AA), the goal is to enhance innovation in the Blue Biotech sector. MARINNONET aligns with the region’s strategies for sustainable development and aims to contribute to its resilience against climate change while preserving its natural ecosystems.
In this context, and cross-cutting to the 3 MARINNONET Biotechnology Platforms and the 8 AA regions involved, we have outlined the following specific objectives:
- Implementing conditions required to face the current innovation and societal challenges of the AA Blue Biotech sector;
- Fostering co-creation of novel Blue Biotech ideas, internally and crosswise to all region’s innovation ecosystems;
- Promoting impactful R&D&I actions to develop market-oriented applications that address the needs of the AA Blue Biotech sector, while effectively exploiting resources;
- Fostering further development and uptake of innovative co-created solutions by companies and assist the AA regional administrations in building evidence-based public policies.
BIOTECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS
Considering the characteristics of the Blue Biotech sector of the 8 AA regions involved, and their respective R&D&I strengths, our network MARINNONET focuses on 3 Marine Biotechnology Platforms (BP):
- BP1 – Innovations for an efficient, sustainable, and resilient aquaculture: Advancing our knowledge in the physiology, nutrition, genetics, and breeding of farmed organisms, as well as disease control methods. This contributes to improvements in fishing and shellfish farming activities, such as offering solutions for species identification and combating phenomena like red tides.
- BP2 – Omic and observation technologies for preserving marine biodiversity and restore ocean health: Assisting to decipher the intricate biological and environmental interactions within marine ecosystems, including biodiversity and protection measures. Providing public administrations with the necessary tools and knowledge required to adapt to the effects of global climate change and safeguarding human health and well-being.
- BP3 – Marine-derived products for industrial applications: Technologies for the isolation and processing of materials and bioactives from marine organisms, focusing on employing environmentally-friendly methods and approaches applied to marine by-products or under-exploited resources, towards their sustainability application in biomedicine, pharma, cosmetics and food.
