BIG TC – Blue Italian Growth Technology Cluster
The economy of the sea represents for our country a great opportunity for industrial growth, job creation, international scientific visibility, political and economic leadership.
The proposers of the “Blue Italian Growth Technology Cluster” CTN-BIG have an international economic dimension, scientific credibility, combined with a wealth of strategic partnership which ensure a high potential for activating synergies and the correct strategic positioning on an international scale of the interventions of the Cluster.
On the scientific front BIG TC is represented by a large group of Universities and by all the Public Research Institutions that deal with the sea in various ways, while the industrial front sees the direct presence of many leading players (national and international) and with a vast presence of SMEs and territorial aggregations, which also play an essential connecting role with the Regions.
The BIG TC is designed to remain in absolute harmony with the main development trajectories on the subject – defined at global, European and Mediterranean level – to respond to the main social challenges, in a sustainable way, according to the macroeconomic trends characteristic of the sector and in compliance with the criteria for restoring and maintaining the Good Environmental Status. The development trajectories identified are: (i) Marine environment and coastal strip, (ii) Blue biotechnology, (iii) Renewable energies from the sea, (iv) Marine abiotic resources, (v) Marine biotic resources, (vi) Shipbuilding and robotics marina In parallel, the cross-cutting themes will also be dealt with Skills & Jobs, Research Infrastructures, and Sustainability and economic uses of the sea.
From an organizational and governance point of view, the BIG TC aims to be a structure open to the incremental participation of all the national actors involved, with the aim of creating a single aggregative reality of national value, able to be representative of the sector in an international perspective and as a meeting point and dialogue with central and local administrations. In this line, the establishment of the Cluster is envisaged in the legal form of a recognized, non-profit association, open to all public and private bodies having the requirements indicated in the Call.
On the financial front, it is expected that the BIG TC, in analogy to other existing Clusters, will be born and operate without specific public financial support, with the hypothesis of defining parameterized membership fees in order to obtain adequate financial resources to support the structural and administrative costs and of the action of the Cluster itself.
The BIG TC will devote specific attention to dissemination by focusing its intervention along three lines: internal processes stakeholders involvement, open broadcasting of results achieved through public events, activities open dissemination to promote publc awareness.
The BIG TC is actually working to coordinate all actors in order to:
- develop a strategic agenda and produce technological roadmaps,
- identify the needs for infrastructure and investment in training and human capital,
- mobilize the industry and the research and training system,
- public-private investment in research,
- promote access to European funding,
- promote the sharing of knowledge between the public system and industry, and towards civil society.
