Abstract
Since 2011, when the first European ocean literacy (OL) project was launched in Portugal, the number of initiatives about this topic in Europe has increased notoriously and their scope has largely widened. These initiatives have drawn from the seven ‘Ocean Literacy Principles’ that were developed by the College of Exploration Ocean Literacy Network in 2005. They represent a source of inspiration for the many endeavours that are aiming to achieve a society that fully understands the influence of themselves - as individuals and as a population - on the ocean and the influence of the ocean on them. OL initiatives throughout the past years, globally, have resulted in the production of countless didactic and communication resources that represent a valuable legacy for new activities. The OL research community recognises the need to build up the scope of OL by reaching the wider Blue Economy actors such as the maritime industrial sector. It is hoped that building OL in this sector will contribute to the long-term sustainable development of maritime activities. The ERASMUS+ project ‘MATES’aims to address the maritime industries' skills shortages and contribute to a more resilient labour market. MATES’ hypothesis is that through building OL in educational, professional and industrial environments, it is possible to build a labour force that matches the skills demand in these sectors and increases their capacity to uptake new knowledge. The MATES partnership will explicitly combine OL and knowledge transfer by applying the ‘COLUMBUS Knowledge Transfer Methodology’ as developed by the H2020-funded COLUMBUS project.
Highlights
SUGGESTING THE LINKS BETWEEN OCEAN LITERACY AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERThe ocean represents 71% of the Earth’s surface and it drives many features of life on Earth
Reviewed by: Mario Barletta, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil James G
The work done by ocean literacy (OL) practitioners has connected research and education and translated some of the best available marine knowledge into didactic contents, comprehensive for students and trainees of all ages
Summary
The ocean represents 71% of the Earth’s surface and it drives many features of life on Earth. Europe’s Marine Economy is not an exception comparing its situation with the whole innovation system within the EU, as far as similar weaknesses are observed: under-investment in knowledge; poor access to finance; the high cost of intellectual property rights; slow progress toward interoperable standards; ineffective use of public procurement and duplications in research; insufficient collaboration between the public and private sectors on innovation; poor transfer of research results into goods and services; and, a growing skills’ gap (European Economic Social Committee [EESC], 2014) In this context, the COLUMBUS project aimed at “ensuring that applicable knowledge generated through EC-funded science and technology can be transferred effectively to advance the governance of the marine and maritime sectors while improving competitiveness of European companies and unlocking the potential of the oceans to create jobs and economic growth in Europe on a sustainable (Blue Growth)” (AquaTT, 2015b). Education and training communities and Blue Economy stakeholders can benefit from a combined approach and the MATES consortium will explore this further
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