In June 2022, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute began its involvement in the 4BIZ project («Boosting the Blue Economy in the Black Sea Region by Initiating a Business Collaboration Framework in the field of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Coastal and Maritime Tourism and Maritime Transport»).

 The 4BIZ project is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and is scheduled to run for two years (June 2022 – July 2024).

The primary goal of the project is to establish a collaborative framework that will unite stakeholders in the blue economy sector across the EU and eligible non-EU Black Sea countries. This collaboration aims to identify and address local capacity-building needs, promoting innovation, digitalization, and investment in the Black Sea blue economy.

The 4BIZ project encompasses activities in five countries within the Black Sea region: Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine.

The term “blue economy” refers to the responsible exploitation, conservation, and restoration of the marine environment. The 4BIZ project covers the following sectors of the blue economy:

  • Fishing
  • Aquaculture (fish farming)
  • Coastal and maritime tourism
  • Maritime transport.

The project’s specific objectives are as follows:

  1. Strengthening the capacity of SMEs and start-ups in the target sectors to identify and attract potential public and private investors.
  2. Enhancing the visibility of investment opportunities in the target sectors within the Black Sea region.
  3. Improving the ability of public and private investors to identify SMEs and start-ups.
  4. Developing the capacity of stakeholders to establish and enhance concrete cooperation and networking approaches and methods, aiming to improve the business environment and reinforce value chains.
  5. Contributing to the establishment of a networked, multi-stakeholder blue investment and innovation ecosystem in the Black Sea region, to be known as “4BIZ – Boosting Black Sea Blue Biz.”

Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’s partners under the 4BIZ project include:

  • BSUN: Black Sea Universities Network (Romania) – Coordinator;
  • ICBSS: International Center for Black Sea Studies (Greece);
  • CCIA Galati: Galati Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (Romania);
  • UMC: Public Union “Ukrainian Maritime Cluster” (Ukraine);
  • BSMA: Batumi State Maritime Academy (Georgia);
  • DOKA: Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (Türkiye);
  • MCB: Marine Cluster Bulgaria (Bulgaria);
  • ASEBucuresti: Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (Romania).

The project team at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute comprises:

  • Representatives from the Department of International Cooperation.
  • Researchers from the Institute of Energy Saving and Energy Management.
  • Experts from the Institute of Postgraduate Education are responsible for the operational management of the All-Ukrainian Innovation Ecosystem known as “Sikorsky Challenge Ukraine.”

The contact person for the project at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is Anastasia Kharchenko, a consultant at the International Project Office (anast.kharch@gmail.com; tel. 204-80-19).

Towards the end of March 2023, the project achieved a noteworthy milestone by concluding a mapping process and conducting a gap analysis of the current state of the Blue Business sectors in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine. In October 2023, the 4BIZ project was showcased at the ХІI Festival of Innovation Projects “Sikorsky Challenge 2023″; materials from this event are available at the following link.

The relevant reports and other project news can be found in 4BIZ newsletters:

Project website: https://4biz.bsun.org/

Social media channels:

– Facebook https://www.facebook.com/4BIZproject
– Instagram https://www.instagram.com/4bizproject4/
– Twitter https://twitter.com/4BIZproject
– YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP8VMDZBqDtsmJvSssfseGA
– LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/4bizproject
– Telegram https://t.me/project_4BIZ