Announcements:
THE PLASTIC FANTASTIC HACKATHON: INNOVATE FOR BLUE IMPACT
Registrations open until April 27th (17:00 CET)
The Plastic Fantastic Hackathon is an open online innovation challenge calling on students, startups, NGOs, and innovators to design real solutions for marine litter. Detection. Collection. Prevention. Valorisation. Pick your angle and build something that matters.
Two tracks available: early-stage ideas and emerging organisations. Four winning teams. One deadline.
Not ready or need more info?
Join the free Info & Ideation Workshop on 15 April at 17:00 to shape your submission before you apply.
Ready to Participate?
Build something that matters for the future.
*This event is organised by Impact Hub Athens with support of ICORSA.org
IRISH MEGA EVENT
Upcoming, Open to Everyone
Kerry & Cork, Ireland, May 26–28, 2026
Three days. Two coastlines. One mission.
The PHAROS Mega Event Ireland lands in Kerry and Cork from 26-28 May 2026. Three packed days of workshops, demos, and real conversations, from MPA policy tables to kelp farms in Bantry Bay.
Join us 26th - 28th May in Kerry & Cork for the Mega Event Ireland, uniting government, researchers, innovators, educators, businesses, investors, and local communities to launch two Living Labs. Together, we’ll tackle marine restoration challenges through citizen engagement, school programmes, and innovative demos. Highlights include the MINKA Living Lab launch, “Waste to Worth” 3D printing, fisher-led initiatives, Blue Schools webinar, STEM building tour, art exhibition, and a visit to Bantry Marine Research Station’s kelp farm.
*This event is organised by Munster Technological University Kerry & Bantry Marine Research Station.
In Case You Missed:
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2026
THE CANARY ISLANDS LIVING LABS 2026
All reports
Citizen Science Marine BioBlitz Report
LITTER ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM WEBINAR SERIES
Cleaner Seas Begin on Land:
Prevention, Zero Waste & Community Action
On March 26, 2026, the Pharos Project, an EU-funded initiative focused on nature-based solutions for ocean restoration, hosted a pivotal webinar titled “Cleaner Seas Begin on Land” as the fourth session in its “Meet the Ocean Entrepreneur” webinar series. The session brought together thought leaders, innovators, and policymakers to address a critical shift in marine conservation. Rather than focusing solely on cleaning polluted waters, the webinar emphasized the urgent need to prevent pollution at its source through waste prevention, circular economy models, and community engagement. This report captures the key insights, speaker presentations, and strategic takeaways from this discussion.
The PHAROS Citizen Litter Entrepreneur Programme, run in partnership with Impact Hub Athens, empowers citizens and aspiring innovators to tackle marine plastic pollution by transforming ocean waste into sustainable, circular business opportunities.
As a key component of this initiative, the programme features the “Meet the Oceanpreneur” webinar series, an eight-part schedule of dynamic, 50-minute fireside chats running through late 2026.
Ocean and Waters Projects Events - April 2026
Read the latest news and events of the Ocean & Waters Projects.
PHAROS actively participates in the Mission Ocean and Waters Communication Collaborative as part of its mandate to build strategic links with other EU Missions, European Blue Parks, Mission lighthouses, and related initiatives. The Collaborative brings together communications representatives from partner projects, CSAs, the Mission Implementation Platform, and European Commission leaders for monthly coordination meetings where participants share project updates and align messaging. The following updates reflect activities and developments shared by participating members during the April 2026 meeting cycle.
About PHAROS
Lighthouse For Atlantic & Arctic Basin
PHAROS is an EU-funded project, led by the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN), and implemented by a consortium of 24 organizations from September 2024 to August 2029, which aims to provide nature-based solutions for restoring ecosystems and biodiversity while tackling climate change and human impacts in the Atlantic and Arctic maritime regions. These goals align with the European Union’s ambitious Ocean Mission objectives.
Funded by nearly 9.5 million euros in European funds, the PHAROS project aligns with the European Union’s Ocean Mission. This mission focuses on protecting and restoring marine ecosystems and biodiversity, eliminating pollution, and achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral, and circular blue economy by 2030.
