The international co-operation project BLUE-C started by having a Kick-off meeting last week. It is a project on coastal and maritime tourism, the goal of which is to enhance sustainability and competitiveness of the blue economy by promoting collaboration and increasing competences. The project has partners in six European countries and the Centre for Maritime Studies represents Finland. The Kick-off meeting took place on 28 January 2022.
The BLUE-C stands for Collaborating Coastal Communities – Encouraging Blue Growth through Co-creation, Co-design and Co-work. It is a project funded by the Erasmus+ Programme and brings together organisations from Ireland, The Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Malta, and Finland. The project aims at enhancing sustainability and competitiveness of the blue economy by promoting collaboration and connecting coastal communities, growing digital competences, and sharing best practices on coastal and maritime tourism.
The project focuses on micro enterprises embedded across coastal communities. Very often these are small local businesses that may be too busy or too distanced from opportunities of collaboration and knowledge exchange. Parallel to this, entrepreneurs may lack the digital skills needed to connect, target, and grow their small businesses and customer bases. The BLUE-C will animate and facilitate co-working, co-design and co-creation opportunities for micro enterprises involved in the blue economy and water-related tourism sector.
BLUE-C has three special outcomes. The first one is to develop a Skill Framework & Best Practices. Based on this, a Learning Programme & Platform will be built focusing on both business sustainability and environmental change. The third outcome is the establishment of a Regional BLUE-C Network, which will result in a strong alliance to support the applying of the three Cs: co-creation, co-work, and co-design. Naturally, this kind of a project increases visibility and international reach of participating organisations.
The Kick-off meeting was called together by the Lead Partner Inishowen Development Partnership in Ireland. Unfortunately, instead of wonderful sceneries of Ireland, the location was just Zoom. Other partners, in addition to us, are Eurodimensions (Malta), Eolas S.L. (Spain), Stichting Business Development Friesland (The Netherlands), and Aintek Symvouloi Epicheiriseon Efarmoges Ypsilis Technologias Ekpaidefsi Anonymi Etaireia of Greece.
More information
Kirsi Laitio kirsi.laitio(@)utu.fi
Sari Nyroos sari.nyroos(@)utu.fi
