Author: refest

From 4 to 5 March 2026, the REFEST project organized a joint workshop together with SBEES South Baltic Digital Electromobility Enabling Services, an Interreg project, hosted by Klaipėda University.

The meeting brought together researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, students, and regional stakeholders to exchange knowledge and discuss sustainable development opportunities across the Baltic Sea Region.

SBEES focuses on supporting the transition to electric mobility in the South Baltic region through the development of innovative digital services. The project is creating a suite of tools to help stakeholders plan and implement charging infrastructure, assess electricity storage needs, monitor the use of public charging stations, and explore Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) solutions. By providing data-driven insights, SBEES aims to support local authorities, energy providers, and other key actors in accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and advancing sustainable transportation systems.

During the workshop, REFEST had the opportunity to present its objectives and ongoing activities, engaging with participants working on electric mobility, energy management and sustainable transport solutions. The exchange with SBEES was particularly relevant, as both projects address the transition towards cleaner mobility systems, although in different contexts: SBEES focuses on electric mobility and charging infrastructure in the South Baltic region, while REFEST works on the decarbonisation of traditional fishing fleets through practical retrofit solutions.

The discussion highlighted REFEST’s approach to reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by combining technologies such as hybrid propulsion, battery systems, flexible PV panels, smart energy and power management, eco-driving tools and improved vessel efficiency. The workshop opened the door to future exchanges on shared challenges, including electrification, energy storage, charging needs, data-driven planning and the practical deployment of low-emission solutions in real operating environments.

REFEST has successfully achieved Milestone 15, led by RINA partners, marking an important step forward in understanding the social perceptions surrounding the project’s key technologies.

This milestone focused on analysing how a diverse group of stakeholders, including workers, local communities, consumers, value chain actors and society at large, perceive the main solutions developed within REFEST. The assessment was based on around 20 completed questionnaires covering technologies such as hybrid propulsion, solar panels, recyclable materials, air lubrication systems, optical fiber sensors, hull appendages, eco-driving and DPS.

The analysis provided a valuable overall picture of the social themes most relevant across the project. Stakeholders consistently assigned medium to high importance to aspects such as health and safety, fair competition, skills and technology development, and the promotion of social responsibility. These dimensions emerged as broadly significant across almost all the technologies examined.

At the same time, the results highlighted important differences between technologies. For solutions involving critical raw materials, such as batteries and solar panels, supply chain responsibility emerged as a key concern, while for recyclable materials, including battery boxes and appendages, end-of-life management proved particularly relevant.

Some topics were perceived as less significant in the REFEST context, especially those not directly linked to the technologies or considered of limited relevance by respondents, such as ethical treatment of animals, migration, forced labour and child labour. Finally, the analysis also identified a number of themes that will require further investigation in the next phases of the project, where stakeholder views were more heterogeneous or the available responses were still limited.

On February 16th 2026, REFEST was proudly represented in Brussels at the CINEA Feedback to Policy Workshop on Energy Transition of the Fisheries Sector & Maritime Decarbonisation, with Project Coordinator Vasilij Djackov presenting the project’s contribution to sustainable maritime innovation.

The workshop brought together projects funded under different European programmes, creating a valuable cross-programme and cross-policy dialogue with several Directorates-General of the European Commission. The initiative aimed to transform research, innovation, and demonstration results into actionable policy insights capable of supporting the transition towards a more sustainable and decarbonised maritime sector.

During the event, REFEST showcased its work in supporting the energy transition of small-scale fisheries through practical and scalable solutions designed to accelerate maritime decarbonisation while strengthening resilience and sustainability across coastal communities.

The participation in this high-level workshop highlighted REFEST’s growing role in bridging innovation and policymaking, contributing concrete expertise to Europe’s green transition objectives within the fisheries and maritime sectors.

The REFEST EU Project participated in the Baltic Sea Regional Forum, held on 17-18 November 2025 and co-organised by the European Commission, the Municipality of Viimsi, and the City of Tallinn.

The Forum was organised in the framework of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, which supports European regions, cities and local authorities in strengthening their resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Held over two half-days, the event focused on the Baltic Sea region, bringing together regional and local leaders, Charter Signatories, policymakers, experts and project practitioners to exchange best practices and practical solutions for climate adaptation and resilience.

The Forum included a series of workshops designed to foster collaboration and co-create strategies tailored to the specific needs of the Baltic context. Discussions addressed key challenges such as coastal resilience and sea-level rise, heat management, water security and drought management, urban greening and renaturing.

The event also highlighted the importance of financing, multi-level governance and cross-sector collaboration as essential drivers of effective climate action, while showcasing the achievements of regional and local authorities and Mission Projects.

REFEST’s participation represented a valuable opportunity to engage with stakeholders working on climate adaptation and resilience in the Baltic region, exchange knowledge with other EU Mission initiatives, and strengthen the project’s contribution to the sustainable transformation of maritime and coastal communities.

On 24 September 2025, REFEST held a fruitful meeting with representatives from the sister project H2-SEAS. During the discussion, potential collaboration activities were explored, including joint participation in upcoming events.

REFEST focuses on advancing renewable energy technologies and sustainable maritime solutions, while H2-SEAS works on accelerating the adoption of hydrogen-based energy systems in the maritime sector: REFEST focuses on retrofitting traditional fishing fleets to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while H2-SEAS develops small-scale hydrogen-electric fishing vessels for sustainable maritime operations.

As a result of the meeting, H2-SEAS has joined the REFEST partner meeting in Gdynia, on November 4 and 5 2025, marking an important step towards strengthening cooperation between the two projects and fostering knowledge exchange in the field.

Cover image by Josh Calabrese on Unsplash

REFEST project was presented at SAIL INN PRO 2025, held on 28-29 October 2025 in Getxo and Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain. The sixth edition of the event brought together stakeholders from the nautical, maritime and blue economy sectors to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration within the maritime ecosystem.

The two-day programme took place across two key Basque innovation hubs. The first day was hosted at TikiToki Zentroa in Getxo, focusing on connecting academia and companies, promoting training, supporting young talent and exploring new opportunities for the maritime sector. The second day took place at BAT – B Accelerator Tower in Bilbao, addressing innovation, startups, new business models and industrial development in the maritime field.

During the event, AIMPLAS colleagues presented REFEST as an example of an EU-funded project contributing to the sustainable transformation of the fisheries sector. The presentation highlighted REFEST’s work on innovative solutions aimed at reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in small fishing vessels, while supporting the broader transition towards more sustainable and efficient maritime activities.

REFEST’s participation in SAIL INN PRO 2025 represented a valuable opportunity to increase the project’s visibility among companies, startups, technology centres, universities, investors and industry professionals interested in sustainable maritime technologies and new business opportunities.

On 3 November 2025, the REFEST project was presented at Gdańsk University of Technology during a meeting hosted by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology. The exchange brought together Dr. Marek Chodnicki, Vice-Dean for Cooperation, and Prof. Vasilij Djackov from Klaipeda University, coordinator of the REFEST project.

As part of the visit, Prof. Djackov toured the university’s laboratories and shared key outcomes from several research initiatives, including REFEST. Discussions focused on marine engineering, ship design, hydrodynamics, and the growing role of digital methods in advancing maritime technologies.

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to strengthen collaboration between the two institutions, identify common research interests, and explore concrete ideas for future joint activities. The exchange highlighted strong synergies in the fields of sustainable maritime innovation and engineering research, paving the way for new cooperation opportunities in the near future.