ABOUT NATIONAL HUBS
National Hubs (NH) are key elements of the BSAM and are established in each participating country. NHs are staffed with national experts on maritime and marine issues and function under the steer of the central team. Their role is to raise awareness of the opportunities created by the CMA and to establish dialogue and active exchange between national key stakeholders, as was done during the event held online the 3 March 2021 on the Financial Instruments of Implementation Support of CMA and SRIA in Ukraine.
In close liaison with the central team, the NHs establish network partnerships on thematic areas and contribute to the CMA goals and priorities by analysing barriers, promoting the CMA thanks to a dedicated communication stream, supporting national stakeholders in projects and organising dedicated national events.
Head of the National Hub of Bulgaria
Ilze Dimitrova Atanasova
Ilze has worked in the maritime sector for over 25 years, having established the Marine Cluster of Bulgaria, as well as the Bulgarian Association of Business Clusters, a European network of maritime clusters. For more than 10 years, Ilze has been involved in Bulgarian non-governmental maritime policymaking, serving as the Chair of Marine Cluster Bulgaria and an active member of the Association of Business Clusters. Her areas of expertise include blue growth activities, domestic and international maritime cooperation, facilitating communication among maritime business communities, education, academia, and related national authorities.
Ilze has worked as a project and financial manager on EU and national-funded initiatives focusing on maritime strategy, SME competitiveness, maritime technologies, skills, and education in both conventional and high-potential blue growth sectors.
Head of the National Hub of Georgia
Natia Miminoshvili
Natia has been the Head of Foreign Affairs at Georgia's Maritime Transport Department since 2014. During her time in this position, she has gained strong management skills and demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of maritime safety and security, maritime education, maritime labour, and digital transformation in the shipping industry.
Natia has experience planning and implementing projects in the maritime sector, especially with regard to fundraising and EU collaboration. She has represented Georgia's maritime sector on a variety of platforms and coordinated several forums and conferences.
Head of the National Hub of Romania
Mihaela Candea Mirea
Mihaela has worked in the not-for profit sector, where she served as executive director of Mare Nostrum, an active environmental NGO in Romania. Since 2008 she has been a project officer at the Black Sea Advisory Council. This body contributes to achieving the goals of the Common Fisheries Policy by fostering a fair representation of all fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders.
Mihaela is specialised in the fields of research, management, and public speaking.
Head of the National Hub of Turkey
Mustafa Yucel
Associate Professor Dr. Mustafa Yucel is a marine biogeochemist focused on the elemental cycling in oceans, particularly in the deep-sea.
Having been trained in USA as a chemical oceanographer, he has conducted postdoctoral research in France (UPMC) and Germany (GEOMAR). Since April 2015, he has been a faculty member of the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Middle East Technical University (Turkey) and is currently the vice director of the institute responsible for research coordination and international collaborations.
Dr. Yucel is particularly committed to developing research and innovation for emerging blue economy sectors in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Over the past two years, he has actively contributed to the preparation of the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. He is the co-coordinator of Black Sea CONNECT project which will support the Black Sea Blue Growth Initiative for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea.
Head of the National Hub of Moldova
Stanislav Petrascu
Before joining the European Union High Level Advisers Mission to the Republic of Moldova, Stanislav served as local coordination expert and supporting officer in several EU projects related to transport.
Stanislav has 10 years of specialised experience in coordinating external relations and supporting executives and administrators in various Moldovan state agencies and companies. Stanislav is an experienced policy adviser with more than 14 years of experience in management consulting and donor-funded projects.
Head of the National Hub of Ukraine
Dmytro Cheberkus
With a PhD in Economics, Dmytro was part of the Ukrainian Innovation department from 2005 until 2012. From 2014 to 2018, Dmytro served as director of the Department of Science and Technology, where he was involved in science and technology policy and strategic planning. Since 2016, he has been a representative of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, where he oversees the country's national coordination action. As part of the Directorate of Science and Innovation, he has been managing the ministry's actions in the field of marine research.