By connecting regional action with international processes, the 8th Remedies Cluster Meeting reinforced its core objective: building synergies that empower collective action for a healthier ocean, seas and waters, both in the Mediterranean and beyond.
Date: 4th May 2026
Location: Athens, Greece
Watch the recording here!
The 8th Remedies Cluster Meeting “Building synergies for healthier seas and waters across the Mediterranean region” was organized by the National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) and the Sanitary Engineering Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens (SEL-NTUA) and Impact Hub Athens (IHA) within the context of the 8th General Assembly of the REMEDIES project. This event served as a platform for critical discussions surrounding the challenges posed by several pollutants (emerging contaminants, nitrates, etc) and the strategies needed to address them effectively.
Faithful to its title, the event served as a collaborative platform for strengthening synergies among research, policy, and practice, focusing on the shared challenge of protecting Mediterranean seas and inland waters from pollution. By bringing together leading experts, policymakers, and practitioners, the meeting fostered dialogue, exchange knowledge, and identified actionable strategies that can accelerate progress toward healthier aquatic ecosystems across the region.
The Cluster Meeting featured a high-level line-up of distinguished speakers and expert panelists who will explore emerging and future policy and regulatory frameworks. The event created strong links with other EU Mission projects, EU Commission and regional initiatives, showcasing innovative, state-of-the-art solutions already being implemented on the ground. These real-world case studies demonstrated how cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration can translate research into tangible environmental benefits.
Finally, the discussions situated Mediterranean efforts within the global policy landscape.
Agenda
Moderators of the event:
- Uroš Novak, REMEDIES Coordinator, NIC
17.00 – 17.10 Welcome speeches
- Costas Noutsopoulos, Professor, SEL-NTUA
- Uroš Novak, REMEDIES Coordinator, NIC
17.10 – 17.25 Loic BLANCHARD, EC
17.20 – 17.30 REMEDIES solutions
- Sylvain Petit, Local zero-waste value chains, SMILO
17.30 – 17.40 Seacure Presentation
- Lorenzo Proia, Biologist, PhD in Experimental Science and sustainability, BETA
17.40 – 17.50 PREVENT
- George Balaskas, PhD Student at NSCR Demokritos and the University of Piraeus
17.50 – 18.00 PHAROS
- Pablo Reche Garcia, PHAROS Project Manager, PLOCAN
18.00 – 18.10 CARDIMED
- Dr. Thomais Vlachogianni, Head of Science, Research & Policy, MIO-ECSDE
18.10 – 18.20 CARDIMED
- Costas Noutsopoulos, Professor, SEL-NTUA
18.20 – 19.20 Roundtable: collective action for healthier seas and waters
Moderator: Dimitris Kokkinakis, Co-Founder, Impact Hub Athens
- Christina Zeri, Research Director, Institute of Oceanography, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)
- Evina Gavalaki, Civil-Environmental Engineer, PhD, MSc, European Investment Bank (EIB)
- Konstantinos Tsoukalas, Plastics and waste officer, WWF Greece
- George Gourgouletis, ScienceMe
- Vassilis Sfakianopoulos, Founder, Save Your Hood
19.20 – 19.30 Concluding remarks
