The first aim of the workshop was to provide the update on the progress of the project of BlueRev and validation of BlueRev project’s work on governance and social innovation with local stakeholders. This was achieved by discussion on workshop and exercise on governance recommendations that was prepared by the BlueRev project’s Swedish partner RISE. An onsite group of stakeholders and a virtual group of workshop participants’ worked on prioritization of governance innovation and discussed what actions by which actors would be most relevant for the blue bioeconomy vision for the Saaremaa region. Estonian University of Life Sciences led a discussion of social innovation based on the data collected with interviews and workshops in Saaremaa region in 2023 and 2024 and with the examples provided by other BlueRev partners to validate the project’s results as well as to collect additional ideas on which stakeholders and type of project could further facilitate the innovation of blue bioresource use in Saaremaa region.

Additional aims of the workshop were the introduction of different product development and innovation projects implemented by the researchers at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in the context of various projects and the further facilitation of cooperation with local stakeholders in the Saaremaa island. The Development Fund of Estonian University of Life Sciences finances several ongoing applied product development and research commercialization projects related to blue bioresources that were presented at the workshop to the local stakeholders. Those included research on using horticultural byproducts for the development of phytogenic feed additives and pre-biotic feed for the rainbow trout. Another project discussed was the research project on Estonian microalgae and biomolecules extraction that is working on cataloguing the microalgae as well as building bioreactor at Estonian University of Life Sciences. An INTERREG project TransFarm presented the work on aquaponics systems at Estonian University of Life Sciences that is working on using grey water from the university’s sport facility for the aquaponics systems and testing the cultivation of different vegetables and fish species. The perspective of local blue bioeconomy entrepreneur was introduced with the presentation on the ongoing macroalgae utilization project as well as the cultural and historical context of blue bioresource valorization in the Ruhnu island that is part of the Saaremaa County.

The BlueRev project partners will integrate the data into the project’s deliverables as well as the ongoing training and upcoming demonstration workshops in the Saaremaa region at the last period of the project in 2025.