Abstract
Maritime clusters with transnational dimensions are key to the socio-economic development and the sustainability of blue growth in the Mediterranean. In this work, the design and development of a marine renewable energy (MRE) cluster in the Mediterranean is presented, while a short review regarding MRE status in the basin is also provided. Cluster policy and the corresponding innovation, legislation and financial frameworks are discussed along with socio-economic characteristics of the Mediterranean Sea. MRE development should be designed in an appropriate way so as to achieve both economic and environmental sustainability, by integrating three important frameworks that are not always aligned: the engineering, the ecological and the socio-economic one. An initiative towards these directions is the PELAGOS Mediterranean cluster that is expected to stimulate smart and sustainable growth in the area through the development of MRE and to accelerate the exploitation of the relevant technological innovation in the market sector.