In May, the ERINN Innovation team attended European Maritime Day 2025 (EMD) in Cork, Ireland; an annual flagship event that gathers leaders, researchers, policymakers, and innovators across Europe’s blue economy. With a packed programme, the event highlighted the growing momentum for a sustainable and inclusive ocean future.
Blue Economy, Gender Inclusion, and Mission Ocean
ERINN Innovation Senior Project Officer, Donnchadh Kindlon, joined the “Blue Women Champions” workshop, hosted by the WINBLUE and WIN-BIG projects, which spotlighted gender and diversity in the EU blue economy. The session showcased outputs such as the WINBLUE Good Practices Guide and the WIN-BIG Women Ocean Champions campaign. Four women leaders; Carla de Carolis of Biochica, Máire Ní Éinniú of Nua na Mara, Vera Quinlan from the Marine Institute, and Alice Pari from Blueat, shared insights from their work. The session closed with a strong message from Aneta Willems of CINEA:
“Let’s make sure women in the blue economy are not the exception, but the norm.”
Donnchadh also attended a workshop on the next phase of the EU Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters. He noted that the emphasis is now on scaling successful innovations from Phase 1 and embedding governance, finance, and stakeholder engagement to make restoration business as usual.
ERINN Innovation Projects Making an Impact
European Maritime Day brought together a wide range of stakeholders from across the fishing industry, and SURIMI was naturally at the heart of many conversations. Represented by Ladina Jeisy (Project Officer, ERINN Innovation), SURIMI’s pioneering work on integrating socio-ecological fishery models into the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO) drew significant attention from passers-by and participants alike. Beyond its technical contributions, SURIMI’s growing influence in contributing to the future of fisheries management and policy sparked widespread interest. ERINN Innovation was approached by leading figures in the DTO space, who praised the project’s distinctive branding, striking and unconventional colour palette, and its strong social media presence featuring engaging, high-quality content. Just one year into the project, it is already clear that SURIMI is making a meaningful impact, both in advancing sustainable fisheries and in positioning itself as a visible and influential force within the European Digital Twin Ocean landscape.
Rebecca Pflanz (Project Officer, ERINN Innovation – representing NETTAG+), presented their acoustic tag; a new tool designed to detect and recover lost fishing gear, helping to reduce marine litter. The technology attracted attention from across sectors. BluePoint Interreg Atlantic Area showed interest in its potential to address marine plastics. Mare Nostrum from Romania saw promising applications for dolphin monitoring in the Black Sea. The Belgian Blue Cluster recognised its value for offshore renewable energy infrastructure.
Rebecca also connected with Dr. Toste Tanhua of Geomar and the SOOP Platform, which promotes ocean data collection through collaborative approaches between sailors, scientists, and policymakers. She noted how this aligns well with ERINN Innovation’s work on cetacean detection. Later, she attended a session titled “Sailing for Science and Climate Action,” which showcased how initiatives like The Ocean Race are equipping vessels with observation kits to collect data on temperature, salinity, microplastics and eDNA in remote ocean areas.
To learn more about the other marine projects ERINN Innovation represented at EMD, watch the video below:
Blue Cities and Local Leadership
Casey Borklund (Project Officer, ERINN Innovation – representing the recently concluded SCORE project) joined a session with the mayors of Brest, Ravenna, Den Helder, and Svendborg, which focused on how cities are leading efforts to build ocean resilience. Cork’s mayor signed the Blue Cities Declaration, a strong symbol of local commitment. Casey found the mayor’s integrated, community-driven strategies particularly inspiring.
She also explored approaches to public engagement, including citizen science activities that connect data collection with sailing events. For her, this showed how accessible, community-oriented methods can help bridge the gap between science and society.
Governance and Funding for a Sustainable Ocean
ERINN Innovation’s Senior Project Manager, Annette Wilson, participated in the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) regional workshop. The programme plans €450 million in funding over seven years and will soon launch a joint call focused on coastal resilience. Speakers highlighted the vital role of decarbonisation, not only for the planet but also for long-term competitiveness.
Irish and EU leaders emphasised their commitments during high-level policy sessions. Taoiseach Micheál Martin remarked;
“Good strides made on land with NPW; need to do that with our seas 2030; 30% to be protected. More focus on adoption and need the funding streams to support this.”
He also noted that while the Ocean Pact was originally expected to launch at EMD, its unveiling has been delayed but remained highly anticipated at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference held June 9 – 13, where Ireland’s updated marine planning statement was open for consultation, reaffirming its commitment to protecting 30% of marine areas by 2030.
Advancing Marine Spatial Planning Through Academic Partnerships
Ladina Jeisy attended the “Seawards” workshop, which brought together a network of maritime universities interested in long-term collaboration. She also joined a session on marine spatial planning (MSP), where government agencies and EU bodies shared success stories and lessons learned.
One standout example was the Dutch North Sea Agreement, which Ladina described as a model of collaborative, cross-sector planning. Participants stressed the importance of engaging fishers early in the MSP process and called for harmonised data-sharing across national borders.
International Action for Healthy Oceans
The Fisheries and Ocean Dialogue focused on Europe’s role in international waters. Panelists from DG MARE, DGAMPA, Oceana, and the European Marine Board discussed the urgent need to ratify the High Seas Treaty, expand scientific cooperation in areas beyond national jurisdiction, and ensure that international pledges translate into real-world change. One speaker said;
“There are high expectations on Europe as a global leader, we need to match ambition with delivery.”
Reflections and Key Lessons
The ERINN Innovation team left EMD 2025 energised by the momentum and collaboration on display. Across sessions, it was clear that EU Mission Ocean is shifting into a critical phase, where scaling solutions, unlocking financing, and embedding supportive policy are key to long-term impact. While the Ocean Pact’s formal launch was still pending, its anticipated role as a driver of wave and tidal energy signals strong future potential. Cork, as this year’s host city, stood out not just for its hospitality but also for its growing leadership in offshore renewable energy.
Throughout the event, the value of citizen science and public engagement emerged as a consistent theme, highlighting how inclusive, community-based efforts are essential for bridging knowledge gaps and building lasting support for ocean action. A huge thanks to Cork City Council, the European Commission, and all our fellow participants for an engaging and forward-looking event. ERINN Innovation remains committed to driving science-policy impact in the sustainable blue economy.
Want to learn more about the marine projects we showcased at EMD? Read our previous blog on Supporting Ocean Solutions at European Maritime Day 2025.
