Partnership for the prOmotion of a maRiTime cross-border Strategy
Maritime transportation of passengers and freight is an economic sector that plays a significant role for the programme countries economy and society. Ensuring a balance between the competitiveness and sustainability of these sectors needs constant research and innovation efforts. The application of disruptive technologies such as those at the basis of the 4.0 industrial revolution can give the birth to transport means and facilities that can improve competitiveness, safety, security and environmental protection for the maritime economy in the programme area. The PORTS 4.0 aims at building up a solid network of public and private stakeholders in the field of logistics and maritime transport for a sustainable and smart development in the programme area based on new technologies derived from the Industry 4.0 concept. The promotion of advanced information and communication technologies is meant to create new cross-border services to support shipping and logistic chains and new opportunities to improve ship operation, safety and security.  This challenge will be addressed through a holistic approach to put in place a cross-border ecosystem supporting the adoption of these technologies throug the promotion of business agreements and the joint cooperation of policy-makers to define a common strategy in the Programme Area. The defined approach will be implemented by achieving three main outputs: the building up of the PORTS cluster; a Memorandum of Understanding promoting sustainable cross-border connections; Business Agreement aimed at starting new business relations among logistics, freight and passengers transport operators in the Programme Area.
The outputs will be anchored to the implementation of specific activities: cross-border events open to public stakeholders, research institutes, business stakeholders in order to jointly share a common vision of a sustainable, smart and green development of the Area; and B2B meetings in order to define business agreements.