Yesterday, the Atlantic Arc Commission held jointly online its Working Groups on Innovation & Cooperation with non-EU Regions.
Led by CCDR Lisboa e Vale do Tejo and Wales in Europe, discussions gathered not only member regions but also a Transatlantic community composed of clusters, innovation agencies, universities, research centres and companies, to discuss how to strengthen cooperation on innovation across the Atlantic.
Key moments was the presentation of the first insights from our Catalogue of Innovations “Made in Atlantic”. The initial findings show both the diversity of innovation taking place across the Atlantic and the clear alignment of regional priorities with EU objectives, reflected in strong participation in European programmes. We could count on the advice of José Antão, Head of Innovation Policy at ANI – Agência Nacional de Inovação, to reflect on future development of the database.
The discussion showed that the Catalogue is more than a database:
– It helps identify common strengths
– It creates a basis for stronger transnational partnerships
– It gives visibility to Atlantic regional innovations ecosystems
We also heard inspiring examples of new transatlantic collaborations that have emerged thanks to the TRANSATLANTIC Project:
– Eva Mª Mena Medina, Director General of CEIMAR, presented a proposal of Erasmus+ under Key Action 1 between CEIMAR and Université du Québec à Rimouski (Viridiana Jimenez-Moratalla Pelhate), reinforcing international mobility and academic cooperation.
– Antidia CITORES, General Manager of Green Marine Europe, shared updates on new collaborations created between Green Marine and Atlantic ports, and companies.
These exchanges confirmed that innovation across the Atlantic is not only about projects, but about connection, alignment and shared ambition.
