Cyprus, 2-6.5.2022. A hybrid training school on bridging the gap between applied sciences and commercialization potential with an in-depth workshop on communication and pitching the idea was organised on the premises of the Cyprus University of Technology, the Cyprus Marine Aquaculture Research Center (CyMARC)of the DFMR and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI).
Close to 60 trainers and trainees from 15 countries met in Cyprus with innovative ideas willing to advance the blue biotechnology sector. With revenue of €1 billion in Europe only in 2020, blue biotechnology is a promising field for blue growth. The European Commission has already earmarked 234 million € under the Horizon Europe for research and innovation programme in the period 2021-2027. Transdisciplinary collaboration was enhanced during the intense working week in Cyprus to speed up the process and ensure at the same time achieving high sustainability goals by meeting UN Sustainable Development Goal “life below water”. Two events were organised back-to-back with the aim of empowering researchers and innovators with skills that are typically missing from the academic curricula: preparation of a winning innovation idea and its communication through time-limited pitching.
The training school was supported by the COST Action Ocean4Biotech, the Junior Achievements Cyprus, the European Technology University and the XPRO Consulting Limited, Cyprus. The scientific committee went through the ideas submitted by the participants prior to visiting Cyprus and grouped them based on a thematic area. From each thematic area, the best and more mature idea in terms of content, clarity, potential and a combination of criteria including gender, research stage and affiliation were used to select 5 case scenarios. During the week, the teams worked to improve their idea.
The event was organised within the COST Action Ocean4Biotech (European transdisciplinary networking platform for marine biotechnology), funded by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. CMMI, acting as one of the hosts, was established as a “Center of Excellence” in Marine and Maritime Research, Technology Development & Innovation (RTDI) and has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 857586 and matching funding from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. The Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 857287.