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EUROPEAN COMMISSION
MEMO
Brussels, 8 May 2014
Questions
economy
and
Answers
on
innovation
in
the
blue
Why do we need innovation in the blue economy?
The blue economy is already vast with over 5 million people employed in blue sectors such
as coastal and maritime tourism, shipbuilding and fisheries, and it could grow further and
employ 7 million by 2020. But as fresh water and land are running scarce in the face of a
growing world population, we will have to turn more and more to our oceans for our food,
medicine and energy needs. The blue economy has the potential of creating more jobs and
further our economic growth. However, our activities have to be sustainable so that future
generations can enjoy the same healthy and vibrant oceans that we enjoy in our lifetime.
Innovation across all sectors of the blue economy is therefore crucial to realise the growth
and jobs potential and can also bring environmental benefits.
Why do we need this Communication?
The 2010 Innovation Union, the over-arching EU strategy on how innovation can
contribute to create smart, sustainable and exclusive growth by 2020, already identified a
number of weaknesses to tackle barriers to innovation: under-investment in knowledge,
poor access to finance, the high cost of intellectual property rights, slow progress towards
interoperable standards, ineffective use of public procurement and duplications in
research. A number of these issues are already being tackled at the appropriate levels of
administration, but some barriers are specific to the blue economy and will need further
complementary action:
 gaps in knowledge and data about the state of our oceans, seabed resources, marine
life and risks to habitats and ecosystems;
 diffuse research efforts in marine and maritime science that hinders inter-disciplinary
learning and slows the progress of technological breakthroughs in key technologies
and innovative business sectors;
 lack of scientists, engineers and skilled workers able to apply new technologies in the
marine environment.
MEMO/14/336
What does this Communication propose?
The Communication sets out a course of action from now until 2020 to tackle these
barriers. The concrete actions it proposes are as follows:
Action
Timeline
Establishing
a
sustainable
process
ensuring that marine data is easily
accessible, interoperable and free of
restrictions
of
use
(built
around
EMODnet,
the
Data
Collection
Framework, Copernicus and WISEMarine)
From 2014 onwards
Delivery of a multi-resolution map of the
entire seabed of European waters
January 2020
Creation of an information platform on
marine research across the whole
Horizon 2020 programme as well as
information on nationally- funded marine
research projects.
Before 31 December 2015
Creation of a Blue Economy Business and
Science Forum
First meeting on European Maritime Day
2015
Encourage the development of a marine
Sector Skills Alliance
2014-2016
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Figure 11 Percentage of selected European sea basins that have not been surveyed
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Furthermore, data from those parts of the seafloor that have been surveyed are not
easily accessible. Different sets of marine data are held by many different organisations.
Finding out who holds data and obtaining authorisation to use them can be timeconsuming and expensive.
It is estimated that making high-quality marine data held by public bodies in the EU widely
available would improve productivity by over €1 billion a year. It would stimulate
innovation in the blue economy by making information on the behaviour of the sea and
the geology of the seabed more readily available. The benefits of increased innovation
could be of the order of €200 - €300 million a year. The ultimate goal is therefore to have
a multi-resolution seabed map in place by 2020.
Why do we need an information platform on marine research?
Launched in January with a budget of nearly €80 billion over seven years, Horizon 2020 is
the EU's largest ever research and innovation programme. While blue growth is a "focus
area" in the programme, with a €145 million budget for 2014-2015, there are also further
opportunities in areas such as food security (i.e. aquaculture), energy (i.e. ocean energy
and offshore wind), transport (i.e. shipping), information technology (underwater cables
and navigation) and research infrastructure (i.e. deep sea exploration) and these areas
may not always be on the radar screens of researchers and industry with a marine and
maritime focus.
1
Source: Preparatory Actions for European Marine Observation and Data Network. Service Contract No.
"MARE/2009/07 – Seabed Mapping – SI2.563144" Based on 6000 seabed surveys of which approximately 1000
were high-resolution multi-beam surveys.
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Staff Working Document accompanying this Communication
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Also, Member States together spend around €1.3 billion a year on their own national
marine research projects. Working with the Commission, Member States are undertaking
efforts to avoid duplication, e.g. through the Joint Programming Initiative 'Healthy and
productive seas and oceans' and the Article 185-based initiative on the Baltic Sea BONUS,
but researchers and policymakers may not always be aware of work going on elsewhere.
The objective is to make these research opportunities more insightful and to increase
synergies between different programmes, which can accelerate the uptake of new ideas by
industry and will help ensure that public research funding pays off through innovation by
business.
What is the EU already doing in the area of marine research?
Between 2007 and 2013, the European Commission contributed an average of €350
million a year towards marine and maritime research through the seventh framework
programme for research and technological development. In 2010-13, a large part of this
funding was allocated under the cross-cutting "Ocean of Tomorrow" calls, details of which
can be found here. The "European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research", adopted
in 2008, is an integral part of the EU's overall maritime policy. For further examples of EU
marine and maritime research see MEMO/14/337
Does the Communication affect international cooperation in this
area?
No. The oceans are a global concern and the Commission remains committed to pursuing
international marine research cooperation. The measures set out in the Communication
should, for example, strengthen the European Union's position in international efforts,
such as the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The European
Commission this week also agreed to award Euro-Argo the status of a European Research
Infrastructure Consortium. This will coordinate Europe's contribution to the international
Argo programme of ocean floats and sensors. The Commission is also building on other
initiatives, notably the Trans-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance with the United States and
Canada launched last year in Galway, Ireland.
Why a Blue Economy Business and Science Forum?
The Commission is already in regular touch with sector-specific initiatives to formulate
research needs under Horizon 2020, such as the Waterborne Platform, Leadership 2020
and the European Sustainable Shipping Platform for shipping and the Aquaculture
Platform.
However, ideas developed in one maritime sector could be of tremendous benefit to other
maritime sectors. Following years of research, the European shipping industry has
developed anti-corrosive propellers to keep leisure and commercial vessels free from
fouling. The very same technology could be used for the turbines used in the nascent
ocean energy industry.
There is a clear need for further cross-fertilisation of ideas and research results and this is
why the Commission is calling for an over-arching platform that combines representatives
from science, industry and NGOs.
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How can the skills gap be closed?
The blue economy of tomorrow will also need an appropriately skilled workforce that is
able to apply the latest technologies in engineering and other disciplines.
In order to tackle this gap effectively, the EU has already put the Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Actions (MSCA) in place. These are to support the career development and training of
researchers – with a focus on innovation skills – in all scientific disciplines through
worldwide and cross-sector mobility. The MSCA provide grants at all stages of researchers'
careers, from PhD candidates to highly experienced researchers, and encourages
transnational, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility. MSCA also encourage
researchers to take up experience in businesses (including SMEs) from an early stage of
their career. MSCA are bottom-up in their nature and do not predetermine a specific
scientific field and is to become the main EU programme for doctoral training, funding
some 25 000 PhDs.
Furthermore, other avenues for supporting the development of skills are:
 The Sector Skills Alliance (SSA): In 2013, four pilot SSAs were supported by the
EU to foster dialogue between industrial sectors and bodies involved in designing,
accrediting, implementing and evaluating education and training systems. SSAs
aim to design and deliver joint curricula and methods which provide learners with
the skills required by the labour market. The Commission encourages stakeholders
in the blue economy to apply for a Knowledge Alliance and marine Sector Skills
Alliance
 Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC): under the responsibility of the
European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), the Knowledge and
Innovation Communities (KIC) bring together major players from higher education,
research and business to stimulate innovation. Three KICs have so far been set up:
climate change, sustainable energy and ICT-related challenges. Five more KICs are
planned under Horizon 2020 in the areas of innovation, healthy living and active
ageing, raw materials, food for the future, added value manufacturing and urban
mobility. The Commission will also examine whether the creation of a specific KIC
for the blue economy after 2020 could be of value.
How does this relate to other Commission initiatives in the field of
innovation?
The Innovation Union is the overarching EU Flagship as part of delivering smart,
sustainable and exclusive growth by 2020 ("Europe 2020"). The Blue Innovation
Communication is to further propose additional measures to tackle the current barriers to
innovation that hold the blue economy still aback.
How will the Commission make sure that “blue growth” will not
endanger the ecosystem of the oceans?
The Commission’s Blue Growth agenda does not prioritise growth over sustainability, but
rather prioritises sustainable growth. In many cases sustainability is a actually a prerequisite for growth: cleaner water allows shellfish from aquaculture to be sold for a higher
price, healthy fish stocks will ensure a sustainable future for our fishermen for generations
to come, whilst offshore energy can provide a sustainable solution to our energy needs as
well as creating jobs and growth across Europe.
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The Commission is explicit that the blue economy must develop in such a way that it is
compatible with wider ecosystem management and the preservation of the marine
environment for future generations. Key to this is the Marine Strategy Framework
Directive. This Directive, which EU Member States had to transpose into national law in
2010, sets a target of good environmental status in European seas by 2020. Human
activities which do not compromise this aim will therefore be allowed. The only way to
understand the possible environmental impact of the blue economy is to continue to
monitor and observe the sea, and increase our overall marine knowledge. The Commission
will continue to support this research.
Today's announcement is another step towards the development of a sustainable blue
economy. Driving innovation forward can also bring about significant environmental
benefits. This can be through "eco-innovations", such as reducing sulphur emissions from
ships through improved on-board exhaust gas cleaning systems, cleaner traditional fuels
or alternative fuel sources. Innovation can also help to develop cost-effective marine
protection measures that can contribute to reaching the 2020 environmental targets for
European seas.
Is blue growth compatible with protecting our oceans and seas?
It can be, if we act in a responsible manner, if we have sufficient information to see the
whole picture, and if we do not repeat the mistakes made in exploiting resources on the
land. The EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive has set the target of good
environmental status in European Seas by 2020 so human activities will be allowed that
do not compromise this aim. In fact there are many win-win options.
Cleaner water and better organic aquaculture technologies allow more fish from
aquaculture to be sold, thereby protecting wild fish stocks. Healthy fish stocks are good for
fishermen as well as for the ecosystem.
Support for wind energy platforms not only helps mankind to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Such platforms can also be designed to host suitable habitats for bottomdwelling ocean species.
Are these empty words? What is the EU's track record?
These are not just promises, the EU has a track record of taking the lead when it comes to
protection our seas and oceans. Three examples:
 The recent reform of the EU fisheries policy makes the EU the first global player to
make sustainable fishing (MSY = maximum sustainable yield) a legally binding
objective for all fishermen all the oceans and seas around Europe.
 The EU has proposed the most ambitious law to regulate and constrain harmful
fishing techniques that risk damaging unique deep sea habitats – by banning as
deep sea bottom trawling. This is the first and most ambitious such regulation of
deep sea fishing world-wide.
 The EU has adopted a roadmap for the development on a large scale of "blue"
marine energy – energy from the waves, currents and tides in the sea. This is a
green and renewable energy sources with a huge potential that can help reduce
considerably the burning of fossil fuels in the decades to come. This roadmap for
marine energy is the most ambitious one world-wide.
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More information
IP/14/536: EU eyes oceans innovation as source of sustainable growth
MEMO/14/337: Blue Economy Innovation: examples of EU marine research
Innovation in the Blue Economy: Realising the potential of our seas and oceans for jobs
and growth:
http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/marine_knowledge_2020/index_en.htm
Studies on Blue Growth per sea basin:
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/en/community/msexperts/articles/bluegrowth-eu-set-studies
Infographics: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/blue_growth/infographics/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogOOTFTg9LA
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