A new lighthouse project focused on the Danube River basin started on 1st January 2023. It is an innovation action project of the new EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030. The project is coordinate by ORSZAGOS VIZUGYI FOIGAZGATOSAG (OVF) from Hungary.

To begin with, Barna Kovács Secretary General of the BIOEAST Initiative welcomed and addressed the participants and set the scene for the fresh water related issues. The new EU mission is highlighting fresh water as a new priority, which is a great opportunity for the Danube Region. He advised the consortium: “You should promote well what is being done in our BIOEAST macro-region and communicate it effectively to both the Commission and also to national policy makers. DALIA project results might fit to be scaled up, additional national and EU funding can be mobilized, if the project will perform. The research and innovation ecosystem on fresh water can be really boosted by the Danube Lighthouse of the EU Mission. The Mission Charter should be endorsed by all the consortium members. DALIA project should provide inputs for the Mission’s performance evaluation that is planned for 2024.”

After the first month which was well spent on administrative issues, the kick-off meeting enabled a discussion of the first steps in each work package, synergies and interlinkages between partners and teams.  BIOEAST HUB CZ the coordinator of the project communication introduced four versions of the project logo. The final logo will be introduced  here, so stay tunedJ.

BIOEAST HUB CZ is coordinating the BIOEAST thematic working group focused on fresh water-based bioeconomy, a working body of the BIOEAST Initiative. As this group is facilitating the dialogue between policy makers and scientific experts and it is currently working on 11 countries priorities, specifically on research and innovation agendas, its direct involvement will support the impact of the DALIA project.