A busy agenda of bilateral business meetings – over 150 – between Italian companies and researchers in theeconomy of the sea and a delegation of American entrepreneurs, with the aim of exploring new forms of collaboration in the field of marine technologies.
It all took place on Monday in Rome as part of the US trade mission “Blue Tech” scheduled at the INSEAN center of the CNR, with the participation of companies and researchers and a delegation of US companies belonging to two important US clusters in the sector: Maritime Alliance of San Diego and MIST of the Mississippi. The entrepreneurial mission is organized by CNR, Confcommercio and Unioncamere Lazio, members of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), the European support network for SMEs, with the American Embassy - Department of Commerce and the National Technological Cluster Blue Italian Growth (BIG) .
In particular, US companies are interested in possible collaborations with Italian companies and researchers in various sectors including boats e services di support to the navigation, green solutions for coastal cleaning, environmental monitoring, marine equipment and services, integrated solutions for marine and port security.
Blue Growth is one of the 12 areas of specialization envisaged in the National Research Plan and the related national cluster BIG (National Technological Cluster Blue Italian Growth) was recently established.
Emilio Fortunato welcomed the participants of the "Blue Tech" event Bell, Director of the Department of Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport (DIIET) of the CNR, one of the promoters of the initiative which takes place in one of his institutes.
"The CNR has played an important role - reads a note - for the birth of the National Technological Cluster Blue Italian Growth - BIG, where it figures on the board of directors as scientific reference for public research". The cluster, coordinated by Fincantieri, it sees the participation, among others, of large industries and over 30 Italian universities. "I would like to underline - specified the Director Emilio Campana - the US interest in starting a partnership with the national technological cluster Blue Growth, following the relations between the cluster Maritime Alliance and Office of Naval Research-ONR and the two Italian clusters Transport and BIG. It is important to strengthen cooperation with strategic partners such as the United States in the main lines of development identified in this area such as: marine environment and coastal strip, blue biotechnologies, renewable energy from the sea, marine abiotic and biotic resources, shipbuilding and marine robotics as well as in the three transversal themes skills&jobs, research infrastructures, sustainability and economic uses of the sea".
The so-called "Blue Growth" includes shipbuilding, the research, regulation and environmental protection sector and the marine extraction industry, for a total in Italy of about 35.000 companies with 265.000 employees and about 17 billion euros of added value.
The support activity offered by EEN, the support network for small and medium-sized enterprises, set up by the European Commission and operating in over 60 countries through more than 600 local members, is also carried out in this sector. It was Nicola who recalled the support provided in the sector by EEN Fantini of the CNR, one of the 56 contact points of the network in Italy, which specified "Enterprise Europe Network stands in relation to the BlueTech Clusters as an element of facilitation and support for SMEs and research structures in terms of services for internationalization in the specific sector".
A personalized assistance appreciated by companies, especially those oriented towards innovation. This is confirmed by Francesco Longo, present at the BtoB, managing director of CAL-TEK Srl di Rende which offers innovative solutions in terms of simulation, virtual and augmented reality for the industry and logistics sectors.
"Thanks to the integrated and punctual services offered by the EEN network - explains Longo - provided through the Spin contact point of Rende operating on the regional territory, as well as participating in a research call in the maritime field in the context of Horizon2020 through an international consortium , we are concluding a technological collaboration agreement with a Spanish company and we continue to offer our innovative solutions on the global market".
