4th General Assembly of DOORS EU Project

From Tuesday, June 11th, until Thursday, June 13th, 2024, the 4th General Assembly of the DOORS Project was held at the “Ion Creangă” State Pedagogical University in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The goal of this GA was to bring all partners and country leaders together to discuss the project’s progress and development. The Athena Research Center team was represented by Ms. Lydia Papadaki. The project brings together expertise and technology from 37 institutions from the Black Sea region and other European countries to address the human and climate change impacts on damaged ecosystems. The Athena RC team presented their work to the consortium, receiving positive feedback.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, ATHENA RC organized a workshop on “Unlocking Business Potential in the Black Sea: Capacity Building for Start-ups for a Sustainable Black Sea,”  which was attended by MAF Representatives (Country Leaders), namely, Assoc. Prof. Slavka Dimitrova, Burgas Free University (Bulgaria), Assoc. Prof. Tudor Castravet, „Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University (Moldova), Mr. Marian Paiu, Mare Nostrum (Romania), Prof. Kadir Seyhan, Karadeniz Technical University (Turkey), and Prof. Nikolai Berlinsky, OSENU (Ukraine), and moderated by Mrs. Lydia Papadaki, PhD.c., ATHENA RC. The workshop discussed the MAFs methodology and results for the Black Sea, with country leaders sharing insights on facilitation strategies, creating a collaborative climate, and handling conflicts. Participants emphasised building trust and focusing on sector challenges. The MAFs results were surprising in most cases, while each country leader (CL) has its own perspective on the benefits of MAFs and alliances. The discussion revealed the need for smaller entrepreneurship opportunities in Romania, Bulgaria, and Ukraine, and the necessity for improved communication between the business sector and central administration in Moldova.

On Thursday, June 13th, ATHENA RC actively participated in a workshop organized by KANTOR aiming to present the scientific outcomes and next steps of the Blue Growth Accelerator. The approach used for the start-up training sessions, which centered on connecting Black Sea inventions to national innovation pathways and building startup capacity for a sustainable Black Sea, was presented by Dr. Ebun Akinsete and Ms. Lydia Papadaki (ATHENA RC). In addition, the DOORS Consortium visited Cricova’s second-largest wine cellar and Orhei National Park and Curchi Monastery on June 12th and 14, respectively.

H2020 DOORS project aims to make operational the Black Sea SRIA, support the successful Blue Growth implementation, and contribute to a healthy, productive, and resilient Black Sea. DOORS will build on previous programs of research to bring the four pillars of the SRIA into reality, turning the challenges into opportunities and making the Black Sea highly valued, productive, healthy, and resilient. This will be delivered through three integrated work programs: System of Systems (SoS), Blue Growth Accelerator (BGA), and Knowledge Transfer and Training (KTT).

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