Blue technologies for competitiveness and sustainable innovation of SMEs

BLUE TECH is a strategic project funded by the Interreg Greece-Italy Programme, which aims to build a cross-border innovation ecosystem between Italy and Greece, dedicated to the Blue Economy sectors, with a particular focus on coastal tourism, maritime logistics, aquaculture and blue biotechnology. Through a partnership of nine organisations, the project envisages the creation of seven pilot actions that will establish physical or digital hubs to provide services to SMEs, facilitate technology transfer and retain talent in the area. The project adopts the quadruple helix approach, involving institutions, academia, businesses and civil society.

BLUE TECH addresses three common regional challenges within the programme area, where the potential of the Blue Economy remains underutilised:

Fragmented governance: poor integration of maritime policies and insufficient cross-border coordination.

Innovation gap: local SMEs lack digital integration (limited use of AI, IoT and robotics) and struggle to adopt new sustainability standards (e.g. ESG reporting).

Brain drain: a persistent outflow of young talent and researchers, depriving the region of skilled human capital.

Duration: March 2026 to March 2029 (36 months)

Budget: €5,000,000.00 – EU co-funding: €3,750,000.00

Partners:

• ARTI – Agenzia Regionale per la tecnologia, il trasferimento tecnologico e l’innovazione (Lead Partner – Italia)
• Regione Puglia – Dipartimento Sviluppo economico (Italia)
• Region of Western Greece (Grecia)
• Region of Epirus (Grecia)
• Region of Ionian Islands (Grecia)
• Economic Chamber of Greece (Grecia)
• Regione Basilicata (Italia)
• Regione Calabria (Italia)
• Fondazione Matera-Basilicata 2019 (Italia)

General Objective

The general objective of BLUE TECH is to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of SMEs in the programme area by building a unified innovation network. The project aims to transform the Greece-Italy region into a benchmark for sustainable growth and digital transformation, promoting the adoption of advanced technologies (deep tech, digital twins) and sustainable business models.

Specific Objectives

In line with the Programme’s Specific Objective (RSO1.3 – Growth and competitiveness of SMEs), BLUE TECH aims to:

directly support at least 200 SMEs through mentoring, incubation and technology transfer services

develop and test 7 joint solutions (Pilot Actions) to be adopted by partner organisations

retain talent and young professionals by involving them in co-design activities and innovation workshops

build a cross-border network (“BLUE TECH Network”) through a Memorandum of Understanding and a five-year strategic roadmap.

Key Actions

Mapping of stakeholders using the quadruple helix model, scouting for young talent, and organising participatory workshops to define the specific services offered by the Hubs.

Implementation of 7 specific initiatives in the partner regions to test innovative solutions:

Digital Twin in the Port of Brindisi (Puglia) for the logistics of floating offshore wind and hydrogen

Digital Twin for sustainable coastal tourism, satellite monitoring of marine biodiversity and a study for a hydrogen logistics corridor in Basilicata

Technology Transfer Hub (virtual) for the adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Blue Economy SMEs in Calabria

Decision Support System (DSS) to assist SMEs with AI adoption and ESG reporting in Greece

Startup Incubator Hub in Patras (Greece) to support new businesses and smart logistics

Blue Economy Hub in Preveza (Greece) and Digital Hub in Ioannina to promote the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS)

Interregional Observatory for the Blue Economy in Corfu (Greece) to support fisheries, aquaculture and marine tourism

Organisation of ‘Cross-Border Innovation Labs’, study visits and drafting of the ‘Blue Tech Roadmap’ to ensure the long-term sustainability of the network and its integration into regional policies.

Project co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Greece-Italy Programme 2021-2027.