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The Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the EMFAF, the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund, has published the call for proposals Women in the blue economy which aims to:

1) support the participation and representation of women in the different sectors of the sustainable blue economy; 2) increase knowledge and collect data on their contribution to the sustainable blue economy, 3) promote gender equality in the sustainable blue economy (including through the promotion of career opportunities for girls); 4) promote female leadership, entrepreneurship and participation in governance structures and decision-making mechanisms of public and/or private organisations of the sustainable blue economy.

With its 4.5 million direct jobs in the EU, the blue economy encompasses all industries and sectors related to the oceans, seas and coasts, whether their activities take place in the marine environment (maritime transport, fisheries and energy production) or on land (ports,  shipyards, land aquaculture, algae production and coastal tourism).

The actions funded under this call will help all these sectors to undertake a structural change with the aim to facilitate and promote the inclusion of women within them.

The call can cover all sectors of the sustainable blue economy and a project should focus on at least three sectors and ensure the widest possible geographical scope, involving partners from different sea basins.

A project proposal must include at least the following activities:

1. 1. Data collection and analysis of data gaps (quantitative and qualitative data and evidence on the participation and representation of women in maritime sectors).
2. Development of networking activities among women to increase their networking opportunities for knowledge sharing, visibility, possibilities to inspire and mentor other women and promote a work environment offering equal opportunities
3. Support women’s leadership and entrepreneurship through targeted actions such as training, mentoring, coaching, (by identifying ways to improve women’s participation in the governance structures of public and/or private organisations)
4. 4. Identify existing good practices and assess their scalability and transferability to spread them in blue economy sectors
5. Ensure the sustainability of project activities

Proposals must be submitted by public or private legal entities established in EU States (including overseas countries and territories) gathered in consortia of at least 3 partners (non-affiliates) from 3 different States. Specifically, the consortium should include representatives of different sectors of the blue economy (e.g. advisory, professional, representative bodies or associations, etc.) and relevant organisations (e.g. NGOs, maritime clusters, universities, etc.) active in promoting gender equality.

The available budget for this call is 2,500,000 euros that will fund a maximum of two project proposals. The co-financing covers up to 90% of the eligible costs, for a maximum of approximately 1,250,000 euros.

The deadline for submitting the project proposals is 22 September 2022.

More information can be found here

Written by: Margherita Genua