From European Ocean Innovation to Local Action: Three EU Projects Join Forces at Hearth Summit Aegean 2026

• October 20, 2026

23-25 October 2026 | Santorini, Greece

What does it take to turn an island into a living example of circularity and ocean regeneration? At Hearth Summit Aegean 2026, taking place in Santorini from 23 to 25 October, this question moves beyond discussion and into practice, bringing European innovation programmes, local communities and international changemakers together through a series of hands-on activities, collaborative workshops and artistic interventions.

Among the initiatives supporting the Summit are three major Horizon Europe projects under the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”: PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA. Each contributes a different dimension to the programme, from citizen participation and marine litter prevention to circular innovation, environmental education and artistic expression. Together, they demonstrate how European research and innovation can connect with local knowledge and community action, supporting Santorini’s transition towards a more sustainable and regenerative future.

PHAROS and the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab: Connecting People, Knowledge and Solutions

At the heart of this collaboration is PHAROS, which provides the overarching framework for the ocean-related initiatives taking place around Hearth Summit Aegean. Through the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab, launched in May 2026 and coordinated by Impact Hub Athens, PHAROS is bringing together local authorities, fishers, residents, businesses, researchers and innovators to address marine pollution, improve resource and waste management, and promote circular economy solutions adapted to the island’s needs.

The Living Lab is designed as a space for ongoing collaboration and experimentation, connecting environmental challenges with the people and organisations capable of addressing them. Its work builds on two PHAROS initiatives: the Fisher Guardian Programme, which empowers fishing communities to contribute to marine protection, and the Citizen Litter Entrepreneur Programme, which encourages citizens and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions for preventing, reducing and valorising marine litter.

Hearth Summit Aegean provides an opportunity to bring these ambitions into practice, engaging both the local community and an international network of practitioners working on sustainability, circular innovation and the blue economy. The collaboration includes a dedicated workshop with Santorini’s fishing community and the Summit’s Zero Waste Island Pathway, where participants will explore circular solutions, take part in environmental action and connect with people developing new approaches to waste prevention and resource recovery. Beyond the individual activities, the goal is to activate and expand the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab, strengthening relationships, building local capacities and creating opportunities for continued collaboration.

REMEDIES: Bringing Marine Litter Solutions and Creative Engagement to Santorini

While PHAROS provides the overarching local engagement framework, REMEDIES contributes experience, methodologies and practical solutions developed through its work on marine plastic pollution. The project combines detection and monitoring, collection and valorisation, and prevention and zero-waste approaches, working with communities, researchers, innovators and local authorities to reduce pollution and encourage more circular ways of managing resources.

Its connection to Santorini is particularly relevant. Through its activities in the Cyclades, REMEDIES has addressed the environmental pressures associated with tourism and plastic consumption, demonstrating solutions for marine litter prevention, collection and circular material use. At Hearth, this experience feeds directly into the Zero Waste Island Pathway, including the collective exploration of a zero-waste future, a beach clean-up informed by REMEDIES methodologies and activities connected to the Plastic Lab.

REMEDIES also contributes a cultural dimension through two artistic interventions supported by the project and organised by Impact Hub Athens, building on its Artists’ and Researchers’ Residencies approach. These interventions use artistic expression to connect environmental knowledge with emotion, imagination and public engagement. From Hikaru: The Fractured Mirror of the Anthropocene, an immersive performance exploring human perception and our relationship with the changing world, to Music for the Sea, a closing musical experience led by Coco Francavilla, the programme brings ocean protection into the cultural conversation, inviting audiences to reflect on their relationship with nature and the materials around them.

ISLA BONITA: Building on Existing Knowledge and Extending Local Impact

The collaboration with ISLA BONITA adds another important dimension: ensuring that successful solutions and practices continue beyond their original implementation. Rather than treating European-funded activities as isolated interventions, ISLA BONITA builds on existing resources and community engagement approaches, adapting them to the needs of different island contexts.

This connection becomes tangible during Hearth Summit Aegean through two activities within the Zero Waste Island Pathway. The Plastic Lab, developed through REMEDIES, continues under ISLA BONITA, offering participants the opportunity to experience circular material reuse and creative experimentation. Similarly, the beach clean-up draws on community engagement practices established through REMEDIES, bringing this experience into the ISLA BONITA framework.

The collaboration also extends beyond the Summit itself. The Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab established through PHAROS will remain an active local engagement structure for relevant ISLA BONITA activities, helping maintain relationships with local stakeholders, share knowledge and encourage further environmental action. This continuity reflects the wider ambition of the EU Mission to move from developing and demonstrating innovative solutions towards their sustained application and broader adoption across coastal and island communities.

Beyond the Summit: Strengthening a Living Lab for Santorini

The collaboration between Hearth Summit Aegean, PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA illustrates how European projects can reinforce one another while responding to the needs of a specific place. By connecting existing research, innovation and environmental practices with Santorini’s local communities, the Summit becomes an opportunity to translate knowledge into action, strengthen local capacities and establish partnerships that extend beyond the event.

The shared ambition is to mobilise and strengthen the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab as an ongoing platform for community engagement, knowledge exchange, environmental action and circular entrepreneurship. Bringing together fishers, citizens, entrepreneurs, scientists, innovators and artists, this collaboration connects local environmental challenges with expertise from across Europe, while supporting the emergence of new ideas and partnerships.

Aligned with the objectives of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”, particularly the prevention and elimination of pollution and the development of a carbon-neutral and circular blue economy, this collaboration offers a practical example of how European research and innovation can create lasting local value. By maintaining community involvement and building on tested approaches, the three projects also create opportunities for successful solutions to be adapted and replicated in other island and coastal regions.

For Santorini, this means more than hosting a series of sustainability activities. It means becoming part of a wider European effort where local experimentation, community participation and shared knowledge contribute to healthier marine ecosystems and more regenerative island futures.

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Activities at Hearth Summit Aegean 2026

The following activities bring the collaboration between PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA to life during Hearth Summit Aegean, combining community engagement, circular innovation, environmental action and artistic expression.

Friday, 23 October 2026

Fisher Guardian Workshop: Empowering Santorini’s Fishing Community

Friday, 23 October | 12:00-16:00 | Vlychada Fishing Port, Santorini

Organised by: PHAROS Fisher Guardian Programme, coordinated by CIIMAR, in collaboration with Impact Hub Athens, coordinator of the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab

Facilitator: Dimitra Mavrommati

Taking place alongside the first day of Hearth Summit Aegean, but outside its official programme, this participatory workshop brings together local fishers to exchange experiences, identify challenges and explore practical measures for reducing marine litter, improving waste management, addressing bycatch and reducing the environmental footprint of fisheries. Through interactive exercises and group discussions, fishers will share their knowledge and explore solutions adapted to their daily practices, strengthening their role as Guardians of the Ocean and their participation in the Santorini Blue Loop Living Lab.

Hikaru: The Fractured Mirror of the Anthropocene

Friday, 23 October | 19:00-20:00 | MATI Art Observatory, Santorini

Supported by: REMEDIES, as part of its artistic interventions at Hearth Summit Aegean

Artist: Anastasia Parava

An immersive artistic performance combining light, shadow, mirrors, prisms, movement and electroacoustic sound to explore human perception and our relationship with the changing world. Through visual storytelling and sensory experimentation, the performance invites audiences to reflect on the environmental and cultural dimensions of the Anthropocene, questioning what remains unseen in our relationship with nature and the systems shaping contemporary life.

Saturday, 24 October 2026

Radical Futures: Imagining a Truly Zero-Waste Island

Saturday, 24 October | 10:30-12:00 | Ftelos Brewery, Santorini

Project collaboration: PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA

Moderator: Andreja Palatinus, National Institute of Chemistry (NIC)

Part of the Summit’s Radical Futures co-creation programme, this session challenges participants to imagine an island where nothing goes to waste. Drawing on experience from REMEDIES and its work on marine litter and circular solutions, the conversation explores how consumption, resource management and everyday practices could be redesigned around circularity. By imagining an alternative future for Santorini and other Aegean islands, participants are encouraged to question existing systems and identify possibilities for more sustainable and regenerative ways of living.

Zero Waste Island: Beach Clean-Up

Saturday, 24 October | Within the 12:30-17:00 pathway | Vlychada Beach, Santorini

Project collaboration: PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA

Led by: Vasilis Sfakianopoulos, founder of Save Your Hood

As part of the Zero Waste Island Pathway, participants will take direct action to protect Santorini’s coastal environment through a collective beach clean-up. Building on methodologies and community engagement practices developed through REMEDIES and continuing under ISLA BONITA, the activity combines environmental action with awareness-raising around marine litter and waste prevention. It also encourages participants to consider the role of communities and citizen-led initiatives in protecting coastal ecosystems.

Zero Waste Island: Plastic Lab

Saturday, 24 October | Within the 12:30-17:00 pathway | Vlychada Port, Santorini

Project collaboration: PHAROS, REMEDIES and ISLA BONITA

Facilitator: Olivia Kotsifa, founder of SYN Fab Lab

This hands-on workshop explores how discarded materials can be transformed into useful objects, combining experimentation at the Plastic Lab. Originally developed through REMEDIES and now continuing through ISLA BONITA, the Plastic Lab provides a practical demonstration of circular innovation and material reuse. The activity encourages participants to rethink waste as a resource and explore new possibilities for circular products, skills and entrepreneurship.

Sunday, 25 October 2026

Closing & Music for the Sea

Sunday, 25 October | 15:00-16:00 | Tomato Industrial Museum, Vlychada, Santorini

Supported by: REMEDIES, as part of its artistic interventions at Hearth Summit Aegean

Artist: Coco Francavilla, founder of MusicForTheSea

The Summit concludes with a musical performance inspired by the sounds and soundscapes of the sea. Combining artistic expression with environmental awareness, the experience invites audiences to reconnect with marine ecosystems through sound, emotion and reflection. The performance brings together themes of ecological belonging, ocean protection and regeneration, offering a closing moment that connects the Summit’s conversations and experiences with a shared responsibility towards the natural world.