- The initiative, led by the Island Energy Council of Gran Canaria, was selected to have its own stand at the event organized by the European Commission
- During the event, physical models of the marine infrastructure were presented by ECOncrete, the project’s technology partner
- The “Tidal pool-reef” system, inspired by the traditional natural pools of the Canary Islands, drew the attention of European authorities as a replicable model to address sea level rise
Brussels, Monday, July 13, 2026. The European project LIFE COSTAdapta successfully concluded its participation in the Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026, held on Wednesday, July 8 and Thursday, July 9 at the SQUARE conference center in Brussels. The event, co-organized by the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the European Commission, brings together the leading institutional actors each year to discuss resilience, competitiveness, and territorial cooperation.
Thanks to its innovative approach, the project presented its nature-inspired coastal adaptation solutions, established new institutional contacts, and strengthened its position as a leading European initiative in addressing the challenges of climate change.
A European showcase for coastal innovation
The project was represented by Juan Manuel Revuelta Pérez, CEO of Fundación Finnova; Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and International Relations at Fundación Finnova; and Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, a project partner entity.
From the exhibition space, the team presented a nature-based solution inspired by the traditional tidal pools of the Canary Islands to increase the resilience of coastal areas, protect marine biodiversity, and support adaptation to climate change.
Juan Manuel Revuelta Pérez, CEO of Fundación Finnova; Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and International Relations at Fundación Finnova; and Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, during the presentation of the European project.
A meeting with the leading European officials in maritime cooperation
The Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026 brought together policymakers, institutional representatives, regions, universities, and European projects to discuss the future of territorial and maritime cooperation.
The program included the plenary session “Creating further synergies among the Macro-regional and Sea Basin Strategies: cooperation potential at the thematic level,” the institutional panel “Towards an Atlantic Maritime and Macro-regional Strategy,” featuring national representatives from Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Basque Country, and the closing debate led by Hugo Sobral, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission. The team also attended the workshop “Security across the EU Macro-regional Strategies – Thematic Workshop by Youth Councils,” focused on the role of youth in security and cooperation within European macro-regional strategies.
From left to right: Lucía Carletti, Junior Assistant at Finnova; Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and International Relations at Finnova; Tomás González Cabrera, representative of the Canary Islands Government Office in Brussels; Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete; Ana Ramos Barbosa, Director of the Galicia Europa Foundation Office in Brussels; Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of Finnova; Pablo Ribao, regional representative of Galicia at the Galicia Europa Foundation in Brussels.
The institutional agenda opens new opportunities for LIFE COSTAdapta
Participation in the event facilitated meetings with officials from the European Commission, public administrations, universities, and regional entities to explore future lines of collaboration in coastal adaptation, climate resilience, and the blue economy.
Notable meetings included those held with Hugo Sobral, Deputy Director-General of DG REGIO; Delilah Al Khudhairy, Director of Maritime Policy and Blue Economy at DG MARE; Christos Economou, Deputy Head of Unit at DG MARE; Tomás González Cabrera, representative of the Canary Islands Government Office in Brussels; Ana Ramos Barbosa, Director of the Galicia Europa Foundation Office in Brussels; Moisés Canle, Vice-Rector for Degree Programs and Internationalization at the University of A Coruña; and Pablo Ribao, representative of the Galician Regional Ministry of the Sea (Consellería do Mar de la Xunta de Galicia).
The Fundación Finnova team together with Delilah Al Khudhairy, Director of Maritime Policy and Blue Economy at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) of the European Commission.
ECOncrete brings innovation closer to a European audience
The ecological infrastructure samples presented by Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, offered a practical demonstration of how nature-based solutions support marine biodiversity and increase the resilience of coastal areas. As Naomie Lecard noted:
“ECOncrete is providing its bio-inoculating concrete technology and proven nature inclusive design concepts […]. Our solutions have been deployed globally from the ports of San Diego and San Francisco to the ports of Ashdod and the port of Vigo”.
The demonstrations attracted considerable interest among attendees and facilitated the exchange of knowledge on innovation applied to coastal adaptation.
Naomie Lecard presents the ecological infrastructure solutions developed by ECOncrete.
More than a dozen new contacts to drive future collaborations
LIFE COSTAdapta’s presence in Brussels drew the attention of representatives from institutions, public administrations, and European organizations from countries including Germany, Iran, Georgia, Ukraine, France, and Spain, all interested in learning about the project and exploring future cooperation opportunities.
This outcome strengthens LIFE COSTAdapta’s international profile and consolidates its role as a European benchmark in developing innovative solutions for coastal adaptation in the face of climate change.
Attendees learn about the solutions developed by LIFE COSTAdapta at the Networking Village.
About LIFE COSTAdapta
LIFE COSTAdapta is a project with a budget of €3.4 million, co-financed by the European Union’s LIFE Programme, which develops an innovative solution inspired by the traditional intertidal pools of the Canary Islands to increase the resilience of coastal areas to climate change through nature-based solutions.
The consortium is made up of the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the University of Cantabria, INGECID, RALEY Estudios Costeros, ECOncrete, the Canarias Recicla Foundation for Sustainable Development, and Fundación Finnova.
More information
LIFE COSTAdapta project:
https://costadapta.energiagrancanaria.com/Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/conferences/EU-strategies-days-2026_en
