Photo: In a first for any Interreg Italia-Malta project, the CORALLO project was presented at two high-profile events held at the Palazzo dei Normanni under the patronage of the EU Commission.
In what is a first for any Interreg Italia-Malta project, the CORALLO project, coordinated by the University of Malta, under the aegis of Prof. Alan Deidun (Oceanography Malta Research Group [OMRG], Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science), was extensively promoted at two high-profile occasions recently held under the patronage of the European Commission in Palermo, within the evocative setting of Palazzo dei Normanni.
The two events consisted of the Mediterranean Lighthouse one for Ocean Mission Charter signatories (Prof. Deidun is a Board member of the Ocean Mission and the University of Malta, the SEA-EU Alliance as well as the CORALLO project are all signatories of this Charter) as well as the BlueMissionMed Forum for different Mediterranean stakeholders. The BlueMissionMed is an EU-funded project which will serve as the vehicle to implement the Mediterranean Lighthouse within the Basin. An interview on the impact of CORALLO digital ocean literacy tools was posted on Instagram by the Mission Ocean communications team band can be accessed .
Prior to these two back-to-back events, the OMRG shipped, through the support of colleagues from the ERA, Pepper the Robot, holograms, VR headsets and other cutting-edge digital tools which assist ocean literacy practitioners in disseminating information about the assets of different marine Natura 2000 sites featured in the project and on the need for a responsible enjoyment of the same sites. The Sicilian partners on the project (ARPA Sicilia, University of Palermo, Consorzio Plemmirio and CORISSIA) endowed further the CORALLO stand installed within the Palazzo dei Normanni through an innovative projector as well as through an interactive camping tent which offers users an immersive experience which touches upon different marine species and habitats of conservation importance. The CORALLO stand was visited in Palermo by hundreds of Mission Ocean Charter signatories as well as by dignitaries, including Pascal Lamy, Chair of the Ocean Mission Board itself. The CORALLO project was, as a result, included within the first-ever booklet of innovative BLUEMISSIONSMED Forum solutions, available .
Besides Prof. Alan Deidun, OMRG and Project Support Office staff who participated directly in Palermo during both project-promotion events included Dr Adam Gauci, Mr Johann Galdies, Ms Jessica Busuttil and Mr Marco Iannaccone. The 3 Maltese partners on the project (the University of Malta, the ERA and Heritage Malta) have a combined budget exceeding 800,000 euros. Further information on the CORALLO project, which will run till the end of August 2023, can be gleaned . The project has, over the past few months, featured prominently in outreach activities, including the GreenFest in Valletta, the FEE Fest organised by Ekoskola as well as the Public Service Fair, through which thousands of end-users, belonging to several different stakeholders, were engaged. A number of additional project activities will be organised by Heritage Malta over the months of July and August, with an add-on project, titled CORALLO +SI, being approved for funding and running in parallel to the CORALLO project. CORALLO +SI focuses on additional islands, including Gozo and Comino in Malta and also features the local council of Ghajnsielem.
