The project will contribute to the formation of a demand-driven economy, which is estimated according to the information related to the production and consumption of healthy and sustainable food and which will provide an extensive platform for the development of products that help increase the transparency and addresses the key challenges identified within the Blue Economy. Together with the interested companies, it will provide fertile ground for ideas and solutions for startups to thrive within the new strategy. The project will provide important information on the structure, functions and dynamics of the marine ecosystem in the Romanian area of the Black Sea to identify and map the pelagic and benthic habitats with economic potential, establish their health status and carrying capacity, carry out the assessment of non-fish resource stocks and identify areas allocated for mariculture.

The project will provide scientific support in the development of start-ups in the Romanian Black Sea region, contributing with updated information on the status of non-fish resources and available stocks, and will develop/improve/test the technological methods for the processing of the valuable ingredients, such as collagen from marine gelatinous zooplankton, which is taken from the shore and introduced as secondary raw material or from accidental catch during pelagic fishing; calcium carbonate from waste generated in the processing of molluscs and vegetable charcoal from macrophyte algae aggregations on the Romanian Black Sea beaches. The developed processing methods will be compared with traditional methods to obtain optimized processing lines for the ecological and sustainable use of resources. The initiative involves new products and processes that make it possible to capitalize on national marine resources, promoting sustainability, decarbonization and circularity of the economy. The project is ambitious, but also realistic, based on current knowledge and the expertise of key and non-key members.