We are reproducing below an email being circulated locally by the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) announcing its participation in a Maltese Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hub.
According to information at http://bcthubs.eu:
“BCThubs aims to build in the participating Widening countries (i.e. Greece, Bulgaria and Malta), Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hubs, as permanent structures, supporting with new innovative solutions and products, the sustainable protection, restoration, valorisation, management, accessibility and promotion of UWCH.
Although the new Hubs will be scoped regionally, they will be interconnected and oriented towards national and international synergies (i.e. beyond regional borders), pursuing cross-border collaborations on common strategic goals and alongside value adding chains. Each Excellence Hub will bring together all regional/national actors related to Blue Culture and UWCH, including research/academia, businesses, public sector, and societal actors (i.e. 4-helix approach), which will mutually reinforce their capacities and effectiveness, towards raising innovation excellence in sustainable Blue Economy/Culture in respective regions.”
From http://bcthubs.eu/
The local project partners are the Institute of Tourism Studies, The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, DAN Europe Foundation and AquaBioTech Limited.
Below we reproduce the announcement by the ITS.
The Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) is a partner in the Horizon 2021-2027 project titled BCThubs: Blue Culture Technology Excellence Hubs in EU Widening Member States.
As a new field within the Blue Economy, Blue Culture Technologies (BCT) is being introduced through this project. BCT promotes innovative technologies developed to support underwater cultural heritage in terms of scientific research, accessibility, and valorisation.
This project will establish permanent research hubs in Malta, Greece, and Bulgaria as well as in other future participating countries to provide cutting-edge scientific and innovative solutions and products in areas of sustainable Blue Economy and Culture. Its overall objective is to empower SMEs’ innovation capacity, maritime clusters and networks, Public Authorities, and other key actors to boost Blue Culture Technology within the Mediterranean.
Kindly find attached an introductory letter which details the aims of the project. This is the first iteration of our endorsement campaign, which will be fully launched early next year. More information is available on the project website here: https://bcthubs.eu/.
Kindly circulate this message and letter to any colleagues who may find this project of interest.
Should you have any queries or would like to discuss BCThubs in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned.
Thank you.
Simon
Dr Simon Caruana PhD
Senior Manager – Academia (ISDSM)