On November 7, key members of the Callmeblue consortium—including ForMare - Polo Nazionale per lo Shipping, Leanovator (Leancubator), Federazione del Mare, Cluster maritime Tunisien, and representatives from the Union for the Mediterranean, Westmed Alliance, and the Mauritanian Maritime Cluster—gathered at the prestigious #Ecomondo expo in Rimini, Italy. Organized by Cluster BIG - Blue Italian Growth, the conference, themed "ACCELERATING BLUE INTERREGIONAL COOPERATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN," highlighted essential discussions on advancing the Mediterranean’s blue economy through resilient cluster networks, digital transformation, and European funding insights. 

 

 

Key Panels and Topics Covered:

 

  • Building resilient cluster networks across Mediterranean shores, bridging gaps between northern and southern regions.
  • Blue economy priorities along the northern and southern shores.
  • Digital Transformation of maritime activities, with best practices shared from Italy and other Mediterranean regions.
  • European Funding Insights, including EMFAF calls for flagship projects to support regional cooperation and innovation.

 

Event Speakers :

 

  • Paolo Guglia – Vice President, Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale BIG-Blue Italian Growth
  • Adriana Salazar Olivan – Union for the Mediterranean
  • Leonardo Manzari – WestMED
  • Roberto Cimino – Past Vice President, Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale BIG-Blue Italian Growth
  • Laurence Martin – General Secretary, Federazione del Mare
  • Lidia Rossi – Managing Director, Polo ForMare
  • Abdelfettah Herizi – Managing Director, Leancubator
  • Hamadi Baba Hamadi – President, Mauritanian Maritime Cluster
  • Luca Marangoni – Deputy Head of Unit, CINEA – European Commission
  • A. Tiziana De Nittis – MASBBE Partnership Regione Emilia-Romagna
  • Ezzedine Kacem – President, Cluster Maritime Tunisien
  • Grazia Gulluni – Project Manager, Lazio Innova
  • Nesrine Rekia Ziad – Partner, Leancubator
  • Stefano Querin – OGS & Research Topic Manager on iNEST’s North Adriatic Digital Twin
  • Vittorio Bucci – University of Trieste & Research Topic Manager on iNEST’s Sustainable Waterway Mobility
  • Davide Giglio – University of Genova & RAISE
  • Marco Faimali – Director IAS-CNR & RAISE
  • Daniele Filippone – Executive VP, Fincantieri
  • Alessandro Iafrati – Director of INM-CNR

 

 

For the full agenda of the event and further details, check the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19UZR27qYLR526IyiBArGK5SutDAhvgyV/view?usp=sharing 

 

The event provided a platform to highlight Callmeblue's role in strengthening maritime clusters and fostering North-South cooperation. Key speakers emphasized its strategic mission and shared best practices for creating transferable collaboration models. Discussions focused on the importance of Mediterranean stakeholders working towards sustainable blue economy growth and resilience, marking a significant step toward transforming the region into a model of sustainable maritime cooperation.