On World Oceans Day, June 8th 2021, an online final competition took place to gather the national winning teams and select the winner of the first edition of the Euronext Blue Innovation Award. The Euronext Blue Innovation Award was the final moment of the Blue Challenge Programme organised by JA Europe and sponsored by Euronext. I consisted of more than 6 months of webinars, mentoring opportunities and national competitions focused on Blue Economy and Sustainable Finance.
Euronext supports the Euronext Blue Innovation Award as its mission is enhance blue education and improve the environmental sustainability of the communities in which it operates that are closely related to the ocean. The 2021 Euronext Blue Innovation Award gave student companies from Belgium, France, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, The Netherlands and the UK the chance to join an international competition and to develop and present innovative business ideas related to Blue Economy during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Marival UB, an innovative youth enterprise formed by students who study at Romsdal upper secondary school in the northwest coast of Norway won the 2021 edition. Focusing on the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, their product reflects sound waves, allowing fishermen to locate lost equipment immediately thanks to an echo sounder. Standing out from the rest, the students from Marival UB represent an example of a successful partnership between JA Europe and Euronext due to students’ enhanced understanding of the blue economy fundamentals, great use of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge of financial concepts.
