Overview

The PoWER PLUS project aims at performing a foresight process in order to detect the main issues which may be affecting Adriatic-Ionian ports in the short- to mid-term in the light of the Covid19 outbreak and related economic crisis. The results of these processes will be used to update and, therefore, enhance the main results produced by the former PoWER project, i.e. The PoWER Methodology for building innovation supply Chain, The PoWER Strategy for evolving ports into Innovation Hubs, and the ICT Platform powerports.eu. PPs of the former PoWER Project will work as couples (PP1 CNR - PP2 CNA, PP3 RDA Porin - PP6 CDI, PP4 CETEOR - PP5 FEP, PP7 CERTH - PP8 CCI) which have been formed according to their potential common strategic trends (also based on their geographic proximity and the port typologies they are dealing with).
The first implementation phase will be dedicated to the collection of experts’ views on possible future scenarios related to the port areas involved in the project also in consideration of the wider situation and trends in the Adriatic-Ionian area. Partners will process these contributions and develop so-called “Scenarios” i.e. full-fledged descriptions of how the future (of ports) could manifest itself. In a second phase, experts will be called upon to support PPs in the detection of strengths and weaknesses of the PoWER Methodology and Strategy based on the Scenarios developed and, above all, possible ways to overcome the main bottlenecks that emerged. The results of this work will feed the Addenda to the Methodology and Strategy, and, most importantly, will be publicly shared in the four “Foresight for Territorial Cooperation” events, planned in M5, that will be attended by PPs representatives, port experts who have actively participated in the implementation activities and MA/JS/NCP representatives and will be live-streamed online in order to reach the wider public and overcome Covid19-related restriction on physical meetings. These events – which will be organised by each PPs couple and will be held in Ravenna, Tirana, Sarajevo and Igoumenitsa – will not only contribute to the promotion of the project outcomes and results at the national and regional level and of their relevance and transferability to potential beneficiaries but also contribute to increasing the awareness on the role of EU Territorial Cooperation among potential beneficiaries and stakeholders possibly increasing cohesion. Moreover, the Consortium will capitalise on project results to improve the ICT platform powerports.eu, which will be enhanced with new GIS map layers dedicated to the developed Scenarios and to EU and National (where available) Recovery and Resilience Plans will be implemented, as well as with a screen-reader feature.