Summer activities in the framework of the Blue Skills initiative!

We are pleased to share with you the best highlights and updates of all the activities and relevant projects that took place this June as part of the Blue Skills initiative:

• the Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Economy (7th edition)
• the Summer School "Transformative Pathways to Sustainability in the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean: Learning Across Emerging Tools and Technologies”
• the Training of Trainers of the TRUE BLUE project - CEI support to Training and Research to Unlock and Enhance the potential of sustainable BLUE Economy for regional cooperation and EU integration
• the Study Visit of the MarMED project - MARitime Cluster Management Education Development

All these activities brought together, here in Trieste, more than 70 participants coming from 21 different nationalities.

On the 3rd of June began the second session of the 7th edition of the Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Economy, jointly organized by OGS and the University of Trieste. The students met in Trieste to continue to deepen their knowledge in new fields and issues of the Blue Economy. This session ended on the 14th of June, bringing together 22 students coming from 13 countries: Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine, Italy, Colombia, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, Morocco, France, Spain, Bulgaria, and Malaysia. With the aim of strengthening the multidisciplinary perspectives of the Blue Economy sectors, focusing on complex issues and finding new solutions to current challenges, the students were involved in different workshops, field trips and courses. This session mainly focused on how to assess and develop Blue Economy strategies, covering topics such as climate change, biotechnology, communication systems and marine forecasting.

At the same time, from 10 to 14 June, the Summer School on "Transformative pathways to sustainability in the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean: learning across emerging tools and technologies", organized in collaboration with the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), kicked off in Trieste and Piran. It brought together 16 participants from various Mediterranean and Eastern European countries, including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Romania and Ukraine. Focusing on transformative pathways to sustainability in the Blue Economy, the programme approached multidisciplinary aspects, promoting cultural and scientific exchange. It was an intensive week, tackling challenging issues in the marine and maritime sector, while developing skills in environmental sustainability and technological innovation. 

With the main objective of strengthening dialogue, promoting networking and fostering international cooperation in the Blue Economy sectors, some of the Summer School activities were carried out together with other relevant projects in which the OGS is involved, such as the Training of Trainers of the TRUE - BLUE project and the MarMED study visit. 

The Training of Trainers of the TRUE - BLUE project "CEI Support to Training and Research to Unlock and Enhance the Potential of Sustainable BLUE Economy for Regional Cooperation and EU Integration'' was attended by 15 public administration officials from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, who enriched the discussions thank to their knowledge, background and direct experience from a Blue Economy policy perspective. The TRUE - BLUE activities have mainly focused on strengthening and deepening the knowledge of the public administration officials on the key EU policies and strategies in order to achieve a sustainable blue economy and promote EU integration. The TRUE-BLUE project, led by OGS, is co-funded by the Central European Initiative (CEI) through the Know-how Exchange Program (KEP)  with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The TRUE - BLUE project Consortium is composed of six Partners: 

• Three Know-how providers: 
  • The National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, Italy
  • The Euro-Mediterranean University - EMUNI, Slovenia
  • The Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries - IOR, Croatia
• Three Know-how beneficiaries:
  • University of Sarajevo - UNSA, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • University of Montenegro - UoM, Montenegro
  • Institute for Sustainable development, Environment and Tourism - inSET, Albania

During the five days of intensive training, the groups carried out several activities including a visit to the to the Fonda Fish Farm in Portorož (Slovenia), a best practice in sustainable tourism and aquaculture, the workshop on sustainable finance and the blue economy, the workshop on scientific diplomacy, on maritime spatial planning, the EU Green Deal (EGD) and the UN SDGs, S3-based innovation cooperation in the blue economy and the roundtable on maritime clusters. 

During the last 2 days of this week of unique capacity building and skill development opportunities, namely on 13 and 14 June, a new group of 20 current and future maritime cluster managers joined the activities in Trieste in the context of the  study visit organized in the framework of the MarMED - MARitime Cluster Management Education Development project. The selected participants, coming from the consortium countries (Italy, Portugal, Malta and Greece), were involved in two intensive days aiming at strengthening and upskilling this innovative and crucial professional figure, the maritime cluster manager.

This event was a perfect opportunity for networking and an occasion to create, strengthen synergies and acquire more knowledge in the different sectors of the Blue Economy such as Blue Economy, Hydrogen, Green Shipping and European Integration, Blue Economy Clusters and Sea Basin Strategies. One of the key roles and added value of this study visit was the participation of four of the most important clusters in the Mediterranean region, that the Tunisian Maritime Cluster, the Maritime Technology Cluster of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Maritime ICT Cluster of Piraeus and Fórum Oceano, the managing body of the Portuguese Blue Economy Cluster.

To conclude, we would like to congratulate all our students that have successfully completed the 6th edition of the Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Economy. As every year, the diploma ceremony event is organized in order to allow the students of the previous edition of the Master's, to come to Trieste and collect their Diplomas and be an inspiration for the Summer School participants. The event, attended by the entire Advanced Master Board of Directors and Scientific Committee, was a perfect opportunity for the students to meet again and to share all their experiences. 

All graduates of the 6th edition of the Master are now officially part of our Alumni Community, a network with all our former students that aims to facilitate connections, exchange ideas and experiences, and share future opportunities in the field of sustainable blue economy.

Attached you can find some pictures that capture the best moments and highlights of these two intense weeks.