Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2024, organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), convened a distinguished international and regional assembly of C-suite executives, representing shipowners, governments, international organizations, port authorities, maritime services, technology companies, and more. Notable among the attendees were partners from the EU-funded DigiTechPort-2030 project: Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design, Germany (project leader); Klaipeda Science and Technology Park, Lithuania; Motus Foundation, Poland; Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden; Maritime University of Szczecin, Poland; Elbląg Sea Port Authority Ltd., Poland; Klaipeda State Seaport Authority, Lithuania; and Euro-Terminal Real Estate Świnoujście, Poland.

Throughout the week-long event, industry leaders congregated to deliberate on pivotal issues, emerging trends, and collective challenges, focusing on decarbonization, innovation, maritime services, and talent development to shape the maritime sector’s future.

Participation in SMW2024 provided the DigiTechPort-2030 project group with a distinctive opportunity to gain insights into the latest trends and solutions propelling the decarbonization and digitization of port operations. The event facilitated connections with leading companies and organizations, highlighted by a significant visit to TCOM, a research unit specializing in the impact of waves on technological solutions. The innovative approach witnessed in Singapore, which prioritizes decarbonization and emissions reduction from a business standpoint, stands as a beacon for global maritime sustainability endeavors, acknowledged by the DigiTechPort-2030 project group.

The study trip, attended by a cohort comprising research policymakers and industry partners, yielded fruitful outcomes, including extensive networking and establishing groundwork for future collaborations, with the subsequent project workshop slated during the Baltic Port Conference in Lithuania in September.

Exploration of topics such as artificial intelligence (AI) underscored the significance of leveraging insights from events like SMW2024 to propel AI and decarbonization initiatives within the region, benefiting industry partners and policymakers alike.

Looking forward, the DigiTechPort-2030 project group remains resolute in its commitment to collaborative innovation, endeavoring to steer transformative shifts in port operations towards digitalization and decarbonization, shaping a sustainable and technologically advanced future for regional port operations in the South Baltic Sea Region.

For further updates on DigiTechPort-2030 project group initiatives and collaborations, please visit our project’s social media channels and official website.

Scientists at Klaipėda University have started an experiment growing shrimp in closed systems using geothermal water from depths of more than 1 km. This is relevant for the development of seawater aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region as it is difficult to establish natural farms here, and production costs increase significantly when preparing seawater artificially.

According to the head of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Laboratory of the Marine Research Institute, dr. Nerijus Nika: “geothermal resources of Western Lithuania are highly mineralized, their composition is similar to that of seawater so it can potentially become an excellent source of salt for the development of brackish water aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region. This is relevant from the perspective of business development as brackish water aquaculture is of higher added value. If the tests prove successful, the use of geothermal water would create a significant regional competitive advantage. “

The currently ongoing experiment is one of the TETRAS project activities. The project aims to create a symbiosis of innovative aquaculture and other industries to use water and other resources more sustainably, and to identify new business niches. The main partners of the project in Lithuania include Klaipėda Science and Technology Park, Klaipėda University and AB Akola group (former AB Linas Agro Group).

According to AB Akola group business development director Arūnas Zubas, the company participates in various initiatives to achieve innovation and sustainability in food production. “We were invited to the TETRAS project by Klaipėda Science and Technology Park, which has been researching the use of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for a long time. We aim to carry out a large-scale shrimp farming feasibility study in Europe, after which we will have a plan and be able to decide whether it is worth investing in, or not,” said A. Zubas.

Fresh shrimps are still considered a luxury item with prices per kilogram reaching as high as 100 euros, but according to experts with the use of right technologies shrimps could become one of the most affordable and sustainable sources of protein in the future. Geothermal water, which is the shallowest in Western Lithuania compared to other regions of the country, is a natural, easily accessible resource that would allow heating the water to a temperature suitable for shrimp cultivation and salting it, thus reducing costs.

Innovation Transfer Networks will be formed along the topics of Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) projects that have been implemented from 2016 to 2023. Cities that have implemented a UIA project will act as Lead Partners by default. 

Cities and public-equivalent bodies from European Union’s 27 Member States, Partner States (Norway, Switzeland), as well as cities from countries benefitting from the Instrument for Pre-Accession to the EU (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), willing to transfer the experience and know-how of a UIA project are welcome to express their interest to the city that has implemented a UIA project. 

For more information please visit: Get Involved! | urbact.eu

Do you have a smart project idea how to bring in innovative, water-smart and climate-neutral solutions for the benefit of people around the Baltic Sea? Do you want to develop and apply your solutions transnationally in regions around the Baltic Sea? Would you like to show how the EU values stand for real actions?

If you answer – yes – to these questions, INTERREG BALTIC SEA REGION 2021- 2027 programme calls for your project applications! They offer EU funding for organisations to connect and work as if there were no borders, and provide more than money: to create an environment for working together across borders to let great solutions become common practice.

Focus of the call

The call is open exclusively for applications tackling challenges under Priority 1 and Priority 3.

Priority 1 – Innovative societies

Under the thematic focus of Priority 1, the Programme particularly invites applicants who wish to address the following challenges:

Responding to societal challenges

• Enhancing disaster preparedness through active engagement of actors at various levels including
  civil society, e.g. improving societal security or improving the ability to respond effectively to
  extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and other disasters;
• Safeguarding the well-being and safety of communities, e.g. introducing models and services with
  particular consideration of vulnerable populations or nurturing social and economic initiatives
  responding to recent geo-political challenges tailored to the needs of specific territories and
  population groups;
• Providing support to businesses undergoing transition, e.g. offering assistance to the creative and
  cultural sector or reducing the dependency of the Baltic Sea region on global supply chains.

Harnessing digitalisation potential

• Introducing state-of-the-art technologies and tools in the management of public services, e.g.
  development of smart health solutions or inclusive social service aimed at promoting social
  welfare;
• Deploying digital monitoring to swiftly identify challenges and enable more rapid and effective
  responses, e.g. in the field of biodiversity and climate change.

A detailed description of Priority 1, its objectives and examples of actions to be financed can be found here:  https://interreg-baltic.eu/about/priorities-2021-2027/priority-1-innovative-societies/ and in the tutorials on the Programme objectives published under: https://interreg-baltic.eu/gateway/tutorials/.

Priority 3  – Climate-neutral societies

The Programme exclusively considers core project applications addressing the topic of climate change within the thematic framework of Priority 3 as set out in the Programme Document. On the topic of climate change, the Programme strongly promotes applications that address the
following challenges:

• Adopting and implementing better integrated and more systemic approaches to planning
  processes in sectors key to mitigating climate change (e.g. infrastructure for alternative fuels,
  green urban logistic systems, infrastructure for renewable energy);
• Mainstreaming climate-conscious perspective through participatory and inclusive approaches,
  e.g. ensuring fair transition and combating energy poverty or developing accessible mobility
  solutions with the needs of the most vulnerable users and territories in mind;
• Implementing effective strategies to combat climate change by improving the generation,
  distribution, utilisation and storage of energy through e.g. smart energy systems or utilisation of
  harbours as green energy hubs;
• Promoting circular practices as a means to address climate change, e.g. supporting businesses
  and communities in taking up circular approaches (e.g. in transport, water, energy and waste
  management).

Project idea form (PIF) should be submitted no latter than 17 April 2024.

More information available at https://interreg-baltic.eu/gateway/calls/

Are you an innovative startup ready to reshape the future of Urban Air Mobility? The UAM Plazza Accelerator programme is looking for the most promising emerging Urban Air Mobility startups in the EU or EU-associated countries, particularly in the subdomains of

• Transport of medical goods
• Surveillance, security and safety
• Ground-enabling infrastructures

A 6-month programme, designed to help you identify and solidify your product market fit, showcase your solutions and bring them to market through:

CONNECTIONS with the European UAM ecosystem,key stakeholders, investors and living labs;

WORKSHOPS on business strategy and development, pitching, fundraising, regulation and social acceptance;

EVENTS with key industry players where to network and pitch and FUNDRAISING opportunities.

Applications deadline: 15 April.  Application form and more details available here.

About the programme: The Urban Air Mobility Plazza Accelerator programme, co-funded by the EIT Urban Mobility, aims to solve current city challenges by implementing aeronautical innovative technologies in Urban Mobility. The programme is organized by the international consortium composed of Toulouse Métropole — a local public institution on a territory home to a pioneering aeronautics innovation ecosystem, Aerospace Valley — the leading European competitiveness cluster in the aerospace sector, CARNET — an open hub of automotive and mobility research & innovation, and Ferrovial — focused on developing innovative and sustainable transportation solutions.

The UAM Plazza Accelerator programme is already assisting 10 start-ups developing urban air mobility solutions from across Europe focusing on environmentally sustainable logistics and clean energy. Apart from networking with experts, information sessions on investment rounds, access to living labs, and regular mentoring, the accelerator programme is helping start-ups to raise investment, test and validate their product, learn more about policy and regulation requirements, and access the UAM ecosystem and market. Expert coaches are working with selected startups to design their business plan, product development strategy, investment needs, and go-to-market strategy. With the overall aim to innovate in urban mobility, integrating a third dimension with air mobility solutions to decongest and decontaminate the cities. Thus, facilitating the transport of citizens and goods and promoting sustainable, safe, and convenient mobility.