Gold for our innovations in the offshore aquaculture and improvement of marine biodiversity
Leading up to this award ceremony, a professional jury reviewed the many submissions based on their innovative character, link to the blue economy, marketing potential, international ambitions, and their link to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN).
The UNITED project won the Blue Innovation Swell award in which the innovative collaboration between different parties was honoured. The Inspirational Blue Innovation Wave award went to MULTI.engineering, the Corporate Blue Innovation Wave award for large enterprises went to DEME, the Blue Innovation Captain award went to the government initiative Aquaduin and the Blue Innovation Wave award for SME's wend to Marlinks.
The UNITED project
The large-scale European research project UNITED, co-financed by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union, researches how we can use the space on sea as sustainably as possible.
With the support of partners from eight countries, five pilot projects were set up. UGent coordinates the Belgium case study, which focuses on nature restoration and offshore aquaculture.
Together with our partners, we research if flat oysters and sugar kelp can be grown again in the North Sea. Even more, whether it’s possible around offshore platforms and on the rocks we use to protect infrastructures on sea, such as wind turbines, against erosion.
The Blue Innovation Awards
The Blue Innovation Awards are an initiative of the ‘Blauwe Cluster’ in cooperation with Ghent University, Brevisco, Colruyt Group, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and Parkwind. With these awards, the ‘Blauwe Cluster’ wants to put innovative projects, products, services and cooperations in the spotlights.
This third edition was a big success with a lot of submissions in which no less than 50 organisations were involved.
