CONFERENCE DES REGIONS PERIPHERIQUES MARITIMES D EUROPE

Their core work

The CPMR is a pan-European association representing peripheral and maritime regions, advocating for their interests in EU policy and development. In H2020 projects, they serve as a bridge between EU-funded research initiatives and regional authorities, ensuring that project outcomes reach decision-makers in coastal, island, and rural territories. Their core contribution is mobilizing regional networks, facilitating policy uptake, and coordinating dissemination to public authorities across Europe's maritime periphery.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early projects (2015–2016) focused on governance frameworks — marine resource access, the Nagoya protocol, tourism mobility, and public-private partnerships. From 2020 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward energy transition and environmental resilience: island decarbonisation, renewable energy storage, solar irrigation, and Black Sea ecosystem services. The evolution shows a clear pivot from transport and governance topics toward green energy and climate adaptation in peripheral territories.

CPMR is positioning itself as the go-to regional policy relay for clean energy and climate adaptation projects targeting islands, coastal zones, and rural peripheries.

How they like to work

CPMR participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a policy network rather than a research performer. They work in large consortia (110 unique partners across 5 projects), which reflects their function as a dissemination and regional engagement hub. For consortium builders, this means CPMR brings institutional reach to hundreds of European regions but will not lead technical work packages.

With 110 unique consortium partners across 28 countries, CPMR has one of the broadest geographic networks of any non-research organization. Their reach spans virtually all EU member states plus associated countries, reflecting their role as a pan-European regional association.

What sets them apart

CPMR is not a research organization — it is a political association of over 150 European regions. This gives it something no university or SME can offer: direct access to regional government decision-makers across the EU periphery. If your project needs policy uptake, regional pilot site mobilization, or dissemination to public authorities in maritime and island territories, CPMR is a uniquely qualified partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DESTINATIONS
  By far their largest H2020 involvement (EUR 630K, 5-year duration), focused on sustainable tourism mobility — a signature topic for peripheral maritime regions.
• MAESHA
  Addresses smart energy decarbonisation specifically for the island of Mayotte, demonstrating CPMR's reach into EU outermost regions.
• BRIDGE-BS
  Extends CPMR's engagement to the Black Sea basin, combining blue growth with ecosystem resilience — their newest thematic frontier.