Blue Economy as a Policy-Driven Innovation System: Research Funding and the Direction of Ocean-Related Innovation

ABSTRACT: The “Blue Economy” has been identified as a driver of European growth, through the development of new competences and activities that enable a sustainable exploitation of ocean resources. This paper conducted an assessment of the directions followed by the research and innovation activities performed by Portuguese organisations in the fields encompassed by the “Blue Economy”, at the light of national and EU strategies. The paper draws on an analysis of the projects developed by Portuguese actors in the context of European framework programmes to investigate: the areas that are being privileged and the role and positioning of different types of actors in the developments taking place. The results point to the emergence of new activities such as marine biotechnology and marine renewable industries, as well as the development of innovations in established industries exploiting marine living resources (fisheries and aquaculture). They likewise reveal that the research and technological activities towards the revitalisation of other established sea-related industries is still very limited. The results also highlight the prominent position of research organisations in both new and established areas. But they equally uncover the relevant position occupied by new technology intensive firms, particularly in areas that require the development of more application oriented methods, products, services, where they are often involved in tripartite relationships, intermediating between research and industrial application. Finally the results suggest that the international cooperation favoured by these projects permit to open-up the national system, contributing to broaden the organisations’ knowledge bases and to extend their international networks.