TUTORIAL INTRO: Bridging Innovation, Policy, and Market Uptake in Blue Technology and Marine Robotics
This session will combine a 30-minute lecture with a hands-on participatory workshop addressing current challenges and opportunities in the development, testing, deployment, and commercialisation of blue technologies and marine robotics solutions. The lecture will provide an overview of the evolving European policy and innovation landscape relevant to marine robotics, including the regulatory framework for Artificial Intelligence, testing and demonstration environments, innovation support mechanisms, and policy developments linked to the blue economy and environmental sustainability. It will also highlight the importance of stakeholder engagement and participatory governance approaches in shaping effective policies, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and ensuring that emerging marine technologies respond to both societal and industry needs. The second part of the session will actively engage participants in a co-creation exercise aimed at identifying key technological, regulatory, operational, and market gaps affecting blue technology development and commercialisation. Through facilitated discussions and participatory decision-making methods, participants will collaboratively explore potential solutions, policy tools, and support mechanisms that could strengthen innovation capacity and accelerate deployment. The session is designed to encourage dialogue while generating insights that can support future collaborative actions and policy recommendations for the blue technology sector.