The ‘EDUROVs in Macaronesia’ initiative has started within the framework of the Blue Growth pilot project included in the RIS3_NET (Interregional Co-operation for the Intelligent Growth of the MAC Regions) project and the activities for promoting the Macaronesian R&D&I related to the Blue Growth Strategy of the European Commission.
EDUROVs Macaronesia is included in the dissemination activities that were proposed during the dissemination seminars of marine and maritime R&D&I in the Macaronesian Region celebrated in Funchal (Madeira) in June and September, with the participation of the responsibles for dissemination representing the main partners of the project: the Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society of the Government of the Canary Islands (ACIISI), The Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), the Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation of Madeira (ARDITI), the Regional Fund for Science and Technology of Azores (FRCT) and the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN). During the first seminar celebrated in June success initiatives were presented by the main partners of the project and the dissemination activities proposed during it were further developed during the second seminar. These activities include a common website for promotion for the Macaronesian region, MacaronesiaBlue, a specific Youtube channel and the ‘EDUROVs in Macaronesia’ pilot project which objective is to expand the Educational Marine Robotics initiative EDUROVs in the Macaronesian region.
During the last two weeks of October, training courses for trainers took place in Madeira and Azores by trainers of PLOCAN. In Azores the course was taught by Carlos Rodríguez and Patricia Rivera at the Escola Básica José Antonio D’Avila of Horta, coordinated by Carla Dâmaso of the Observatório do Mar dos Açores, Fábrica da Baleia do Porto Pim and with the participation of 13 teachers from different islands of the archipelago. In Madeira the course was taught by Carlos Rodríguez and Eduardo Caudet at the Pólo Científico e Tecnológico da Madeira in Funchal, coordinated by Sonia Costa of the Observatório Oceânico da Madeira, with the participation of 23 teachers. At the end of the courses the registration period for the educational centres of Madeira and Azores was opened. After this period, the ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) kits for the construction of prototypes will be sent to the educational centres. The students will create, design and build the ROV prototypes during the academic year in order to present them at the end of the year.
The RIS3_Net projected is 85% co-funded with ERD funds from the first call for projects of the Interreg MAC 2014-2020 programme and its final endpoint is to create a Trans-Regional Platform for the smart specialisation of the MAC space that brings together the resources, actions and tools available by driving the socio-economic promotion of R+D+i.
