The Ocean – Blue Growth in the North

The marine environment is one of three priority areas under the Icelandic Presidency of Nordic Council of Ministers in 2019. Last week three projects were officially launched at the kick-off meeting of the Icelandic Presidency project The Ocean – Blue Growth in the North that took place in Matís.

These projects are NordMar Ports, focusing on ports as centers of innovation and energy transition, NordMar Plastic, focusing on finding solutions to the plastic pollution and its threat to marine life and our survival and NordMar BioRefine, on the possibilities of the blue bioeconomy and the utilisation and value creation from marine resources.

Geir Oddsson, senior adviser at the Nordic Council of Ministers Secretariat, started the meeting with a general introduction to the priority areas of the Icelandic Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. His introduction was then followed by  more detailed overview of each NordMar project by their project leaders. Bryndís Björndóttir at Matís is leading NordMar BioRefine, Hrönn Jörundsdóttir is leading NordMar Plastic and Jákup Sørensen from NORA is leading NordMar Ports.