Success Story #7 — AquaSphere Reaches Across Europe Through Strategic Partnerships In just six months, the AquaSphere project has confirmed seven strategic partnerships spanning more than fifteen countries across Europe and beyond, including Turkey, Norway, France, the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Cyprus, Malta, Finland, Portugal, Estonia, Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria,…
Success Story #6: From Global Competition to a High-Impact Blue Economy new Cohort 2026 Building on the momentum and success of its first accelerator phase, the AquaSphere Programme strengthened its international reputation during the second acceleration round, attracting even greater global interest from startups operating in the maritime, water, energy,…
Success Story #5: AquaSphere Achieves Strong International Recruitment Results in Initial Accelerator Phase The AquaSphere Accelerator Programme has rapidly positioned itself as an emerging hub for innovation in the Blue Economy, attracting strong international interest from startups operating across maritime, water, and sustainability sectors. During its first accelerator open call,…
Success Story #4 — Integrated Digital Education Program: Surpassing Participation Targets for 2025 Cohort 1 AquaSphere’s Integrated Digital Education Program for Maritime Innovation achieved outstanding engagement during Phase 1. Participation numbers surpassed expectations, with 52 more students than the initial target of 350 enrolling in the program. This strong turnout…
Success Story #3 — Blue Economy Entrepreneurship: Two New Startups Emerge from AquaSphere Phase 1 AquaSphere’s commitment to supporting early-stage innovation in the Blue Economy is already yielding tangible results. During Phase 1—and in direct connection with the Accelerator Program—two new startups were officially founded. These ventures embody the project’s…
Success Story #2 — “Navigating Blue Innovation” Bootcamp The “Navigating Blue Innovation” Bootcamp, hosted by IZTECH on 19 November 2025, proved to be a dynamic platform for showcasing the AquaSphere project and its innovation-support tools. The event attracted undergraduate and postgraduate students, startup founders, and early-career professionals, creating an interdisciplinary…
Success Story #1 — AquaSphere Accelerator Program: Outstanding Response to the 2025 Cohort 1 Open Call The AquaSphere Accelerator Program’s first Open Call exceeded expectations, attracting 42 high-quality applications from across the globe—38 from Europe and 4 from outside Europe. Proposals demonstrated strong alignment with Blue Economy priorities and showcased…
PDR/Cardiff Metropolitan University was pleased to welcome partners from across Europe for the third AquaSphere Peer Learning Event, held on 23–24 March 2026. Funded by the EIT Higher Education Initiative, AquaSphere is a collaborative programme that empowers higher education institutions to act as key drivers of water and maritime innovation….
As part of the “AquaSphere” project of the EIT Higher Education Initiative, which aims to strengthen innovation ecosystems, promote technology transfer, and drive institutional change in higher education, the Technical University of Crete, in collaboration with the Innovation Business Observatory (IBO) of Crete Region is organizing the 5th workshop of the “Water…
The 4th “Water Innovators Academy” Workshop, open to academic and non-academic staff from all universities and organizations, will take place on December 5, 2025, 13:30 – 16:00 CET, online. Innovation doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a journey of ideas, testing, and growth. In this interactive workshop, you’ll explore the key stages of innovation,…
