WORKING DRAFT CONCEPT 

The Blue Growth Initiative for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea is organizing a virtual event that will take place on two consecutive half-days to give an update on the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), discuss the COVID-19 impacts on research and innovation underpinning Blue Growth in the Black Sea and launch its Young Ambassadors Programme with the participation of European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel.

This virtual event is organized over two days on 29 and 30th October on the special occasion of the International Black Sea Day (31 October). 

On the first day, 29 October, national and international high-level representatives and stakeholders will engage with European Commission representatives to address and discuss the latest status on the Black Sea SRIA and its draft Implementation Plan, to set the stage for the 2030 Vision of a healthy, resilient and better valued Black Sea. The first day is dedicated to gathering further insights and potential input to feed into the SRIA update and the first draft of the Implementation Plan and discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on the Ecosystem and Blue Economy in the Black Sea. Outcomes of the national SRIA consultation workshops will also be presented in the event.

On the second day, the Black Sea Young Ambassadors Programme will be officially launched by the European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel. The Black Sea Young Ambassadors will be introduced to the community and share their plan for making the Black Sea more visible. They will start investing their energy and providing enriching views at a very critical stage of SRIA implementation, by conveying the principles and the actions of the Initiative to all the Black Sea countries and beyond. Young Ambassadors from the other sea-basins will join the Black Sea Ambassadors in an interactive panel to share experiences and best practices, fostering synergies across European Seas.