The 7th BCThubs Plenary Meeting took place on 20–21 April 2026 at the premises of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) in Malta. The meeting marked an important milestone for the project, confirming that all activities remain on track and are progressing according to the planned timeline.
Over the course of the two-day meeting, project partners presented the scientific and technological advancements achieved so far, highlighting key results as well as ongoing work across different work packages. The sessions provided a comprehensive overview of progress, reinforcing collaboration among partners and ensuring alignment towards the project’s objectives.
The Plenary Meeting also featured a welcome address by Ms Claire Briffa, Deputy CEO of the Institute of Tourism Studies, who highlighted the importance of innovation, skills development and collaboration in advancing sustainable tourism and cultural heritage.
Best Practices as Catalysts for Collaboration, Knowledge Exchange and Synergies
The BCThubs consortium convened its second day of the Plenary Meeting on 21 April 2026, featuring a dedicated high-level session titled “Best Practices as Catalysts for Collaboration, Knowledge Exchange and Synergies.” This session represented a significant milestone in Task 5.4, bringing together five internationally recognised Best Practice owners to share their methodologies, explore transferability pathways, and establish concrete collaboration frameworks with the BCThubs Excellence Hubs and the extended consortium.
The organisations formally selected, began with THETIDA, coordinated by ICCS in Greece, which provided cutting-edge approaches to climate resilience and real-time monitoring for coastal and underwater heritage. INNO2MARE, led by the University of Rijeka, Croatia, offered an innovative VR training methodology for maritime safety and blue skills development, adaptable to dive operations and heritage contexts. WRECKS4ALL, coordinated by the University of Montenegro – which is a BCThubs associated partner – shared a proven cross-border model for digital valorisation and sustainable underwater cultural heritage tourism. Last but not least, the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA) showcased the National AI Strategy as a foundational policy enabler for digital innovation in the blue and cultural heritage economy, documenting an internal Maltese best practice that demonstrates how national policy can be structured to actively support project like BCThubs, with the strategy’s cross-sectoral mandate explicitly including cultural heritage and the blue economy.
Each practice was assessed against eight criteria: innovativeness, environmental and socio-economic benefits, inclusiveness, transferability, strategic alignment with BCThubs objectives, visibility potential, scalability, and stakeholder engagement. The evaluation confirmed that all practices demonstrated high strategic alignment and strong potential for adaptation within the BCThubs context.
The session will move beyond knowledge exchange and synergies to define actionable collaboration pathways. These include the formalisation of Memoranda of Understanding with selected Best Practice owners to ensure long-term cooperation, the co-organisation of joint events and capacity-building workshops to amplify impact across Europe and the Mediterranean, and the co-design of project proposals to continue developing innovative products and services for underwater cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism.
This initiative directly supports BCThubs Key Objectives, particularly KO#1 and KO#6 concerning technology transfer, capacity building, and cross-border knowledge exchange for underwater cultural heritage valorisation, as well as KO#2 regarding the development of a joint research and innovation strategy anchored in national policy frameworks.
