The aim of the Build with Care project was to mainstream energy efficient building design by raising awareness and increasing knowledge of the potential of energy savings.

In collaboration with the building sector, a transnational strategy for increasing energy efficiency in buildings was developed. Within the project, an education and information programme was carried out to change behaviour in the complete building chain (from consumer to planner, from carpenter to architect) -this aided the setting up of a transnational knowledge and information network.

The project concerned BioChar, which is a product of biomass-to-energy processing systems, and had as its aim to raise awareness and build confidence in BioChar as a way of capturing carbon and increasing soil quality and stability.

In order to keep up with international competition, it was mandatory to develop and compile a transnational North Sea Region knowledge base, which can be utilized by national and regional authorities, businesses and the general public.

Climate change in the North Sea Region is predicted to have a pronounced effect on annual rainfall patterns. Soils, rich in organic matter and biological life, function both as a water buffer during periods of drought and as drainage during periods of heavy rains.

Biochar created a triple win scenario for simultaneously producing bio-energy, permanently sequestering carbon, while increasing crop yields by improving soil and water quality.

The overall aim of the project was to improve Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Planning (ICZM&P) and maritime safety in a broad sense, by improving and contributing to harmonising terrestrial and sea geographical data and by developing planning and visualisation tools as well as improvement of navigation, in the context of climate change.

BLAST was also represented in the MTC cluster.

Energy is a sector that may act as future driver for competitiveness in the North Sea Region. BEPPo focused on Blue Energy (wave/ tidal) and its complementarity with traditional (gas/ oil/ coal) and new (wind/ biomass) sources of power, building on the innovation capacity of North Sea Region ports to become bases for the production of integrated sustainable renewables, thus ensuring reliable and affordable supplies of clean, green energy. It provided a unique opportunity to develop marine energy platforms in ports and promote local business opportunities to accelerate economic growth in port regions.