BlueNIGHTs — A touch of Blue in the EU Research Nights for a more Sustainable Use of the Ocean

Results in brief

A touch of Blue in the EU Research Nights for a more Sustainable Use of the Ocean

The United Nations has proclaimed the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) (https://en.unesco.org/ocean-decade). The General Assembly of the United Nations provided a fundamental framework by indicating major Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 to ensure a sustainable development that can benefit all. Among them, SDG 14 is devoted to the conservation and sustainably use of the ocean, seas and marine resources for the development of a new, inclusive, interconnected and healthier global (ocean) literate society. In order to contribute to the achievement of these goals, the European Commission (EC) – Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) launched in 2020 the 1st EU4Ocean initiative (https://www.marineboard.eu/eu4ocean-coalition-ocean-literacy), implemented by a consortium of 12 partners, to supports the creation of an EU-wide EU4Ocean Coalition that promote collective actions of Ocean Literacy (OL). Expected impacts are: - an increased awareness among the general public of the importance of Research & Innovation and more favourable general attitude towards its public funding; - a better understanding of the key benefits that research brings to society; - a reduction of stereotypes about researchers and their profession and increase of people taking up research careers, particularly young people and among them girls; - a better understanding of the European Union among the general audience through the development of complementary approaches to contribute to the general public understanding of the EU.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The main objective of the proposal is to bring the many facets and faces of people working in ocean science & research to the general public of Europe by organising a series of interconnected EU Blue Researchers Nights (BlueNIGHTs) to demonstrate that the ocean can be a source of inspiration, an object of interest/study, and a field of investigation for people with very different backgrounds, hobbies and passions, including science, history, technology, sociology, pedagogy, economics, art, design, etc. By doing so, this collective project will: - Bring people to key objectives, principles and priorities of the European Green Deal that relate to the ocean: delivering a healthy and resilient ocean that can support sustainable Blue Growth and respond to Societal Priorities of Europe. - Contribute to make European citizens Ocean Literate in line with the objectives and priorities of EU4Ocean Coalition, an initiative supported by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE). The project will build on the following principles: - Collective and truly European - mobilising organisations from each EU RSAs to prepare activities and events for presenting their own research/scientific activities. - Interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary/transdisciplinary - the partner organisations from different EU MS will represent a diversity of disciplinary fields and research skills/experiences that are focusing on the ocean, and on the complex connections between human activities and ocean ecosystems. - Immersive, inclusive and interconnected - by combining: (a) an interactive and practical experiences on the spot (in each of the partners location) building on doing, touching, gaming, trying, exploring; (b) an interactive virtual experience, by way of an innovative virtual reality technology, that will allow the public to explore both the ocean and researchers activities by simulating real life working conditons.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE · RomaCoordinatorItaly
ACTEON SARL · ColmarFrance
ASSOCIACAO PORTUGUESA EDUCACAO AMBIENTAL · LisboaPortugal
DISTRETTO VENEZIANO DELLA RICERCA EDELL' INNOVAZIONE · VeneziaItaly
HOLO3 · Saint-LouisFrance
INSTITUTUL NATIONAL DE CERCETARE-DEZVOLTARE DELTA DUNARII · TulceaRomania
SOCIETE D'EXPLOITATION DU CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA MER · Boulogne Sur MerFrance
SUOMEN YMPARISTOKESKUS · HelsinkiFinland
UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO · AveiroPortugal
UNIVERSITA TA MALTA · MSIDAMalta

BlueNIGHTs · A touch of Blue in the EU Research Nights for a more Sustainable Use of the Ocean

Results in brief

A touch of Blue in the EU Research Nights for a more Sustainable Use of the Ocean

Project objective

Participants

Links