Blue Economy sYnergies fOr sustaiNable Development
The BEYOND project aims to transform potential Adriatic offshore wind farms (OWFs) into catalysts for sustainable development in various blue economy sectors, going beyond their traditional role as mere energy producers. By focusing on specific Adriatic offshore hotspots, the project intends to analyse and identify optimal micro-locations for offshore wind farms, thereby exploiting the renewable energy potential and facilitating a green transition in Italy and Croatia.
Historically, OWFs have been designed primarily for electricity generation, often neglecting their impact on marine ecosystems. BEYOND introduces an innovative approach that integrates the conservation of marine ecosystems with the advancement of multiple blue economy sectors. By engaging stakeholders from both countries in a quadruple helix model – including government, academia, industry and civil society – the partnership seeks to identify synergies between OWFs and other blue economy sectors in an integrated system that prioritises ecological health and economic benefits.
The initiative will focus on four pilot regions in the Northern, Central and Southern Adriatic, where OWF systems will be modelled to enhance synergy with blue economy sectors and support green hydrogen production. A key objective of BEYOND is the transition of maritime transport towards green hydrogen, especially in the Adriatic, an environmentally sensitive sea, which offers substantial potential for future economic gains.
The role of OGS will be to conduct research on the ecosystem status and combined production of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in the pilot regions, also with data provided by the other project partners.
OGS will evaluate the fisheries and aquaculture data both under current “business as usual” conditions, with the implementation of OWFs and with management alternatives of the different activities at sea. To carry out this activity, OGS will use ecosystem models to predict the future state of these sectors in an integrated way and will evaluate different ecological and economic solutions through a scenario analysis.
Furthermore, OGS will organize and contribute to two cross-border capacity building events, with lectures and practical sessions. The courses and exchange of experiences are organized in Trieste and Rijeka with the joint commitment of OGS and the University of Rijeka and the participation of students/researchers from both countries.
Information on OGS Role:
Partner
OGS Contact:
Simone Libralato
Duration:
01/03/2024 - 31/08/2026
Project Type:
Research
Research & Innovation Missions:
Seas & Ocean
Homepage:
INTERREG ITALY-CROATIA PROJECT
PRIORITY 1: “Sustainable growth in the blue economy”
COMPONENT 1.1 “BEYOND”
Project name
BEYOND - Blue Economy sYnergies fOr sustaiNable Development
Details
1 - Sustainable growth in the blue economy
SO 1.1 - Research and innovation
Total project investment
€1,760,015.50
OGS investment
€350,175.00
Partnerships
IT - 4
HR - 4
Pilot regions
Istria and Split-Dalmatia counties in Croatia, regions of Puglia and Veneto in Italy
Lead partner: IRENA - Istrian Regional Energy Agency Ltd
Partners: 7
- IRENA - Istrian Regional Energy Agency Ltd
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS
- University of Rijeka - Faculty of Engineering
- Apulia Region
- Split-Dalmatia County
- T2I – TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND INNOVATION S.C.A R.L.
- SINLOC SPA Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds
INTERREG ITALY-CROATIA PROJECT
PRIORITY 1: “Sustainable growth in the blue economy”
COMPONENT 1.1 “BEYOND”
Project name
BEYOND - Blue Economy sYnergies fOr sustaiNable Development
Details
1 - Sustainable growth in the blue economy
SO 1.1 - Research and innovation
Total project investment
€1,760,015.50
OGS investment
€350,175.00
Partnerships
IT - 4
HR - 4
Pilot regions
Istria and Split-Dalmatia counties in Croatia, regions of Puglia and Veneto in Italy
Lead partner: IRENA - Istrian Regional Energy Agency Ltd
Partners: 7
- IRENA - Istrian Regional Energy Agency Ltd
- National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS
- University of Rijeka - Faculty of Engineering
- Apulia Region
- Split-Dalmatia County
- T2I – TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND INNOVATION S.C.A R.L.
- SINLOC SPA Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds