Understanding digital transition in the blue economy requires connecting innovation strategies with the everyday realities of small enterprises working under economic and environmental pressure. Francisco Martínez Frutos, an agronomist specialised in organic agriculture in Spain and the United States, has been working for years around this intersection between development, social economy, and practical implementation on the ground.
With more than a decade of experience in rural economic and agricultural development, microcredit management for women’s groups, and the digitalisation of small producers, he brings a strong perspective to the BlueDots project. Since 2013, his work has focused on European cooperation and the development of rural social enterprises within the organic and inclusive agriculture sector.
In the Bluedots consortium, he applies this background to analyse the digital maturity of SMEs in the blue economy, identify their operational needs, and map the enabling organisations that can support their transition. In this interview, he reflects on what digital readiness truly means for small and social economy enterprises — and why building strong ecosystems of support may be just as important as the technologies themselves.
In Bluedots, your role involves analysing the digital maturity of SMEs in the blue economy, understanding their needs, and mapping the organisations that can support their digital transition. How has this shaped your perspective on the real challenges facing small and social economy enterprises in the sector?
One of the most significant shifts for me has been in how I understand the word challenge.
Before engaging in this kind of analysis within Bluedots, I used to assume that the main barrier for SMEs is access to technology. But when you look closely at the day-to-day reality of small and social economy enterprises in the blue sector, the picture becomes much more layered. Technology may be available, but adoption is rarely a purely technical issue. It is about time, staff capacity, confidence, cash flow, and access to trusted support.
This became particularly visible during the Living Labs in Málaga and Brussels. Through the discussions and especially the Level Up sessions, it was clear that SMEs are not lacking ideas. Many are already experimenting, adapting, and innovating in their own ways. What they often lack is a bridge between innovation and implementation: someone tohelp them choose the right tool, test it properly, finance it sustainably, integrate it into their workflow, and connect it to markets or partnerships.
The Málaga Living Lab made this reality tangible. The range of initiatives was extremely diverse, from marine plastics and circular economy solutions to algae-based biotech applications, underwater inspection technologies, blockchain traceability for seafood, and community-rooted activities such as the Netmakers Association from Malpica. This mix reflects the true nature of today’s blue economy: highly innovative, yet uneven in capacity, language, and readiness.
From this perspective, the core challenge is not simply digital adoption. It is managing transition under pressure, balancing sustainability requirements, market demands, and limited internal resources.
What does digital maturity actually look like for SMEs in the blue economy, and why is it important to move beyond a purely technical view of digitalisation?
Digital maturity is often misunderstood as the presence of advanced technologies. But for SMEs in the blue economy, maturity is less about sophistication and more about consistency and usefulness.
It is about whether digital tools genuinely improve decision-making, reduce risk, strengthen sustainability, and support the real operations of the enterprise. In that sense, digital maturity is not only a technical condition; it is organisational and operational.
A purely technical assessment asking what software is used or whether data systems are in place misses critical questions:
- Can the staff use these tools effectively?
- Do they fit existing workflows?
- Do they save time or create an additional burden?
- Do they support compliance, traceability, productivity, or environmental performance?
- Can the enterprise maintain them once a pilot project ends?
Bluedots approaches digitalisation as part of a broader transition, linking it to fisheries sustainability, responsible blue tourism, maritime operations, and local ecosystem resilience. The online capacity-building sessions laid this foundation, but the Living Labs in Málaga and Brussels made it concrete. SMEs could compare experiences directly and reflect on their own stage of development.
The Level Up sessions were particularly revealing. They were not simply networking opportunities. They created structured space for SMEs to articulate their needs clearly, for support organisations to assess real maturity levels, and for potential collaborations to emerge based on operational fit rather than enthusiasm alone. That, in my view, is a far more meaningful indicator of digital maturity than a checklist of technologies.
Looking at the tools and technologies currently available in the blue economy, what gaps or mismatches do you see between what is offered and what SMEs realistically need?
The primary mismatch is not between innovation and the absence of innovation. It lies between the sophistication of available solutions and the adoption capacity of SMEs expected to use them.
There is remarkable innovation in the blue economy. The Málaga Living Lab illustrated this clearly, with examples ranging from blockchain-based seafood traceability to advanced underwater inspection systems and marine biotech initiatives. These developments are relevant and promising. However, many SMEs require an adoption pathway, not just access to a final, sophisticated solution.
In practice, they often need:
- Tools that can be introduced without disrupting daily operations
- Clear onboarding and training
- Local or trusted support for troubleshooting
- Realistic cost models
- A transparent link between the tool and business value, not just technical performance
Another important mismatch concerns ecosystem integration. SMEs in fisheries, maritime services, or blue tourism operate within interconnected chains, ports, local authorities, buyers, platforms, certifiers, cooperatives, and community actors. Even a well-designed tool can fail if it does not connect to this broader ecosystem.
The Bluedots approach addresses this complexity. It does not simply expose SMEs to technologies; it creates structured spaces for dialogue, mentoring logic, and matchmaking. The Level Up sessions in Málaga and Brussels were critical because they shifted the conversation from “Here is my innovation” to “Who can work together? What is the right next step? What support is required to make this viable?”
That shift is where improvements in productivity and sustainability begin to take shape realistically.
Bluedots also focuses on identifying enabling organisations at European, national, and regional level. What long-term impact do you expect this ecosystem-based approach to have?
This is, in my view, one of the project’s strongest contributions.
Many SMEs do not resist innovation. They struggle because the support landscape is fragmented. They are uncertain about whom to trust, who can guide them in selecting appropriate tools, who can provide training, who can connect them to financing, and who will remain engaged beyond an initial workshop or pilot.
By identifying and mapping enabling organisations across levels, Bluedots reduces that fragmentation. When the support structure becomes clearer, the transition becomes more realistic. SMEs can move forward without starting from scratch each time.
An ecosystem-based approach also improves the quality of transition. Not every enterprise requires the same digital pathway, and not every technology is suitable at the same stage. Support organisations can help sequence change: what to implement now, what to test later, what requires partnership, and what demands investment.
The Living Labs in Málaga and Brussels demonstrated this clearly. They functioned as working environments rather than isolated events, spaces where SMEs, experts, and support organisations could build relationships, compare approaches, and identify collaboration opportunities. The structured interaction within the Level Up sessions added practical follow-up potential, moving beyond informal networking.
In the longer term, this approach can strengthen local and regional ecosystems, create more repeatable adoption pathways, and ensure continuity beyond project funding. For the digital transition in the blue economy to be sustainable, it must be embedded in relationships and support structures, not only in tools.