Last 9th December, the Professor Dr. Ulf Riebesell Hall of the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), in Telde, Gran Canaria, hosted the event entitled ‘A Smart Specialisation Strategy, the extended RIS3, for the Blue Economy of the Canary Islands’. Organised by the Canary Islands Agency for Research, Innovation and the Information Society (ACIISI), this meeting brought together public, private and civil society agents to consolidate the blue economy as a key sector in the development of the Canary Islands, based on research, development and innovation (R&D&I).
Among the participants was the AquaWind project, recognised for its pioneering approach that integrates offshore wind energy with sustainable aquaculture. Its presence underlined the transformative role of European projects based on technological innovation in driving economic growth and sustainability in the archipelago.
The blue economy represents between 2.1% and 2.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Canary Islands, generating a total of 1,168 million euros in 2021 and occupying between 2.1% and 2.2% of total employment in the islands, according to data from the ISTAC. This event served to explore new opportunities for collaboration between knowledge centres, public administrations and private companies, seeking to establish transformative projects that strengthen the sector.
The conference highlighted the importance of an extended RIS3 strategy as an engine to promote synergies and design initiatives that position the Canary Islands as a leader in the blue economy at European level. AquaWind’s participation reaffirms its commitment to the objectives of sustainability and innovation demanded by the islands’ maritime sector.
