The Iceland Ocean Cluster is pleased to announce a new agreement with the Mediterranean Sea Cluster (MedSea Cluster), which is inside the Cluster Foodservice of Catalonia.  This is key step toward strengthening collaboration between Iceland and the Mediterranean region.  Such a network will boost growth in the blue bioeconomy at a transnational level and support entrepreneurs in both regions.  Particular aims of this collaboration are to develop in areas of mutual interest, such as 100% utilisation of seafood products, culture of aquatic species and in marine biotechnology.

The Cluster Foodservice of Catalonia aims to strengthen the Catalonian food service sector and foster synergy across the food value chain.  This cluster connects already more than 100 companies in the food sector so adding a sea-focused cluster will promote the development of new innovations in the seafood sector in the Mediterranean, in both the form of new revenue streams and greater sustainability. This could be of particular interest to manufacturing companies in the cluster that have the aim to reduce food waste and add value.

Both clusters have many exciting entrepreneurs and start-ups within the seafood and food sector that now can network and collaborate and to transfer knowledge between Iceland and Catalonia.  Such connections are key to both the environmental and economic sustainability of our global oceans.