LPRC joins the launch of the IMPACT4MAR Project (Athlone, Ireland)

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On 14–15 January 2026, partners of the IMPACT4MAR project gathered in Athlone, Ireland, for the official Kick-Off Meeting of this new INTERREG Atlantic project,  held as a hybrid event. Hosted by the Technological University of the Shannon, this two-day meeting marked the start of a collaborative effort to drive sustainability and innovation in the maritime sector.

The first day was dedicated to reviewing the progress, sharing ideas, aligning priorities and drafting the first actions across three main work packages:

  • WP1 Gap Analysis for the Maritime Sector: Validation of initial reports, stakeholder mapping, and analysis of sustainability tools. Partners also discussed benefits for maritime SMEs and agreed on a shared glossary of key terms.
  • WP2 Facilitation Schemes to Assess Corporate Sustainability: Development of a prototype toolkit with practical tools to support SMEs, pilot testing planned for late 2026, and full implementation by mid-2027.
  • WP3 Capitalization & Impact: Uploading outputs to a digital platform, organizing regional bootcamps to assess tool usability, and preparing for a final policy dialogue event.

During the second day, partners had the chance to assist to an expert talk by Dr. Fiona Grant, Head of International Programmes at the Marine Institute, presenting on Horizon Europe Work Programme: Marine and Maritime Topics & Mission Ocean, followed by an open discussion on priority actions.

This was a great opportunity to meet the project partners and prepare future actions. LPRC will contribute to the project with its experience in stakeholder engagement, results dissemination, and event organization. In particular, by organizing four bootcamps across the European Atlantic regions. LPRC will further support the pilot’s development in the Canary Islands through the mobilization of their maritime ecosystem and will provide input to the analysis of maritime sector methods, drawing on their experience with island regions in the Atlantic Area.