Project AZA4ACE

The AZA4ICE project addresses the sustainability challenges of aquaculture in the Euro-Mediterranean area by promoting inclusive and circular practices. The project relies on transnational cooperation and cross-border knowledge exchange to pioneer circular aquaculture spatial planning beyond existing coastal sea area practices, defining and testing Allocated Zones for Circular Aquaculture in close-to-coast and inland waters.

During its testing phase, AZA4ICE developed and tested innovative methodologies, tools and participatory approaches supporting the transition towards more sustainable and circular aquaculture systems. Through stakeholder engagement, Living Responsible Research and Innovation Ecosystems (LiRRIEs), public consultation processes and the development of regional Action Plans, the project has fostered dialogue among public authorities, research organisations, aquaculture actors, businesses, civil society and local communities.

AZA4ICE now enters its Transfer Phase, moving from the development and testing of project outputs to their wider adaptation, transfer and uptake. This new phase aims to support the operational transfer and institutional embedding of the AZA4ICE methodology and the LiRRIE methodology in new receiver territories, helping new organisations and regions apply the project’s results in their own territorial contexts.

Building on the experience gained in the testing territories, the Transfer Phase will focus on five new receiver territories: Murcia in Spain, Malta, North Macedonia, Emilia-Romagna in Italy, and Split-Dalmatia County in Croatia. Through needs assessment, capacity building, peer learning, local stakeholder mobilisation and knowledge transfer activities, AZA4ICE will support these territories in adapting the project’s tools and methodologies to local needs and enabling conditions.

The project’s outputs will be valorised by public authorities, the private sector, research and academia, sectoral organisations and civil society, contributing to the wider uptake of circular aquaculture practices and to the development of a more eco-conscious society.