In an important milestone for Mission Ocean and Waters, on 4 March, the Horizon Europe Mission funded projects were gathered for the first time. These projects are assisting the Mission in all corners of Europe and in a variety of ways; from deploy innovative solution, fostering citizen science, to developing digital twin oceans, preventing pollution and much more.
The event coincided with the opening day of European Ocean Days, a week-long series of events covering various marine and maritime topics. The focus of this first meeting in Brussels was to exchange and discuss ways to achieve Mission Ocean & waters Objectives by 2030. Emerging from the exchanges, project partners came together around a series of priorities and potential solutions to drive the change at local level.
Identifying Challenges
Group discussions identified key challenges that lie ahead, including the need to scale solutions to cover larger areas and effectively engage with local communities, who are essential for ensuring long-term success.
Addressing Bottlenecks
Suggestions from the discussions spanned boosting better communication efforts, so that results are not just available, but also visible to the broader public, as well as fostering cross-sector partnerships and investing in capacity-building initiatives. Finding opportunities to collaborate was noted as key to overcoming these bottlenecks and getting sustainable solutions off the ground.
Innovative Approaches
The discussions emphasised innovation, community engagement and creating opportunities to work together, across projects. What will be of great importance moving forward is the sense of community spirit that has been cultivated between the Mission projects. The collective efforts promised during the gathering highlight the determination of Mission Ocean and Waters projects to navigate the challenges ahead and work towards a healthier and more sustainable future for our Ocean and waters.