TREASURE Partner Meeting in Boulogne-sur-Mer

The event began in Nausicaà’s Blue Living Lab, where participants received a warm welcome before diving into Living Lab updates from each partner country. These presentations gave valuable insights into ongoing activities, stakeholder engagement, and lessons learned from the field. 

In the afternoon, the group visited “La Criée” in Le Portel, gaining a local perspective on marine industries and sustainability efforts. Back at Nausicaà, after a presentation of the Open Data Knowledge Platform by Charlotte Dhondt (VLIZ), the TREASURE Vault draft concept was introduced. The session continued with a co-creation activity that invited input and feedback from all partners.

The second day focused on the four thematic TREASURE pillars: governance and policy, data collection, removal, and prevention and behaviour change. In dedicated group sessions, partners discussed progress, identified synergies, and refined plans for the project’s final outputs.

Later, two Blue Living Lab incubated projects were presented — DK Clean-Up, focusing on plastic waste collection, and LOC, showcasing an innovative plastic catcher device. These inspiring examples once again demonstrated how TREASURE fosters innovation and collaboration beyond research alone.

The meeting concluded with a wrap-up session on next steps and informal exchanges, followed by a visit to Nausicaà’s exhibitions and participation in the European Researchers’ Night under the motto "One Ocean, One Health", where we had the wonderful opportunity to host a stand and present the project’s progress in a fun and engaging way to the public.

With renewed motivation and strengthened cooperation, the TREASURE partners left Boulogne-sur-Mer ready to move into the final project phase — advancing shared solutions to keep plastics out of our rivers and seas.