• The event will take place on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July 2026 at the SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre, Brussels (Belgium).
• Fundación Finnova and ECOncrete will participate with institutional and technical representation to showcase innovative climate adaptation solutions for coastal areas.

Monday 6 July, Brussels. The European project LIFE COSTAdapta will participate in the Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days 2026, one of Europe’s leading forums on territorial cooperation, maritime governance and sustainability, to be held on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July 2026. The project delegation will include Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of Fundación Finnova; Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and International Relations at Fundación Finnova; Laura Reig, law assistant;  Claudia Tentor, Junior Communication Officer at Fundación Finnova; and Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, a project partner. During the event, the delegation will showcase the innovative solutions developed by LIFE COSTAdapta to strengthen the resilience of coastal areas to climate change while fostering new collaboration opportunities with European stakeholders.

A strategic presence at the Networking Village

The Networking Village will feature 16 exhibition stands representing selected European projects and initiatives. Among them, LIFE COSTAdapta will host a stand in the Delvaux Foyer, reinforcing its position as a leading European initiative in climate change adaptation for coastal areas.

Shared with the Horizon Europe ONE-BLUE project, the stand will serve as a meeting point to present innovative solutions related to the sustainable blue economy, marine ecosystem protection and coastal resilience. It will also encourage knowledge exchange, collaboration between both initiatives and dialogue with professionals, institutions and organisations attending the event.

The stand will also feature communication materials and demonstration pieces provided by ECOncrete, offering visitors a practical insight into how nature-based solutions enhance biodiversity and strengthen the resilience of coastal infrastructure. All materials will be brought by Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, and will include:

• A mini tidal pool model, recreating one of the habitats designed to enhance marine biodiversity.
• A mangrove-textured wall panel, demonstrating how bio-enhancing surfaces facilitate the colonisation of marine organisms.
• A biologically colonised concrete sample, showcasing real examples of marine growth on ECOncrete’s solutions.
• A sample of ECO-P, one of the materials used by the company to develop more sustainable marine infrastructure solutions.

These demonstration pieces will enhance the technical, educational and interactive nature of the stand, providing visitors with a practical understanding of how nature-based solutions contribute to climate adaptation, marine ecosystem restoration and greater resilience of coastal environments.

Institutional representation and European cooperation

Fundación Finnova’s participation will be led by Juan Manuel Revuelta, CEO of the foundation, and Pilar Santamaría, Director of Communication and International Relations, with the support of Laura Reig, law assistant and Claudia Tentor, Junior Communication Officers. The team will promote LIFE COSTAdapta’s European dimension through strategic meetings, institutional networking and project dissemination activities.

In addition, Naomie Lecard, Marketing Manager at ECOncrete, a partner of LIFE COSTAdapta responsible for developing the project’s eco-engineered concrete solutions, will contribute her technical expertise while presenting demonstration materials that showcase these innovative solutions for climate adaptation in coastal environments.

A key forum for maritime governance

The Macro-Regional & Sea Basin Strategies Days have become one of Europe’s leading platforms for dialogue on territorial cooperation, sustainability and maritime governance. Organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) and Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), the event will bring together representatives from European institutions, national and regional administrations, experts and EU-funded projects to strengthen cooperation among Europe’s macro-regional and sea basin strategies.

The programme will feature high-level representatives from the European Commission and the presidencies of Europe’s main macro-regional and maritime strategies, including the Bulgarian Presidency of the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, the Bavarian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region, the Spanish Presidency of the Atlantic Strategy and Co-Presidency of the Western Mediterranean Initiative, and the Danish Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. The closing session will also include a high-level discussion with representatives from DG REGIO and DG MARE on the future of territorial cooperation and the blue economy in Europe.

Throughout the two-day event, participants will take part in thematic workshops, plenary sessions and dedicated networking activities, including the Networking Village, working lunches, coffee breaks and an official dinner with live music, all designed to encourage knowledge exchange, partnership building and new international cooperation opportunities.

LIFE COSTAdapta’s participation in this forum reinforces its position as a leading European initiative in nature-based coastal adaptation and contributes to expanding its visibility and impact across Europe.

About LIFE COSTAdapta

LIFE COSTAdapta has a total budget of €3,337,563 and is co-funded by the European Union through the LIFE Programme. The project is coordinated by the Gran Canaria Island Energy Council and includes the participation of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), the University of Cantabria, INGECID, Raley Coastal Studies, ECOncrete AQUA, the Canary Foundation for Recycling and Sustainable Development, and the Finnova Foundation.

About ECOncrete

ECOncrete is a company specialising in nature-based marine and coastal infrastructure solutions, combining ecological design with innovative technology to enhance biodiversity, strengthen the resilience of coastal environments and reduce the environmental impact of maritime infrastructure.

More information about the project:
 https://costadapta.energiagrancanaria.com/

More information about the event:
https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/conferences/EU-strategies-days-2026_en