Summer School

Background

Sustainable development underpinned by a blue economy is a shared vision for the Mediterranean area and is of concern to both North and South-Mediterranean countries. The vision of a sustainable blue economy is based on the recognition of both the vulnerabilities and potential for growth of seas and oceans. It promotes smart solutions for marine and maritime challenges within the framework of sustainable development.
Sustainable management of the marine environment requires professionals which are trained with the adequate knowledge and skills in multidisciplinary fields related to marine sciences, and with the capacity to transfer such knowledge and skills to future generations. The topics of both the summer school and advanced training will be addressed both through theoretical findings and practical applications. Their crucial role in marine policy implementation will be outlined.
The future of humanity depends on Ocean’s health and on our ability to manage it in a sustainable way. To make good decisions, capacity building in ocean sciences management is fundamental, and the summer school together with the training of trainers will provide a basis for its development and application.
The goal of the summer school and training of trainers is to train promising talents operating in the marine and maritime sectors and to foster networks and partnerships that can help to scale-up activities in support of a sustainable blue economy, including research, entrepreneurial and communication actions.

Specific objectives of the summer school are:

to identify relevant blue skills that are needed in the labour market for the development of sustainability in blue economy sectors in the Mediterranean region,
to reskill and upskill the identified professional competences relevant for the development of sustainability in marine and maritime sectors and ocean governance in the Mediterranean region,
to provide the necessary skill set for blue economy experts, considering the challenges and the opportunities of the twin green and digital transition for the sustainable blue economy,
to equip young talents with soft and transversal skills through capacity-building activities.

Dates: 5 – 9 June 2023
Application deadline: 28th of February at 2 PM (CET)

Participants

Note: The summer school will run in parallel with the Training of Trainers (ToT) organized by the Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Blue Economy (CoE-SUBE) – EMUNI university. Participants of the training of trainers will take part in the summer school and will have extra sessions. For more information about the training of trainers, please click here.

The Summer School is addressed to master students and/or master’s degree holders working in fields related to sustainable blue economy and interested in the improvement of the skills needed to fit blue jobs. Candidates coming from the European Union and of Countries surrounding theMediterranean (including non-EU countries) are encouraged to apply.
The summer school will host 30 participants divided as follow:

15 early-career participants (master students and/or master’s degree holders, practitioners)
15 mid-career participants, also taking part in parallel in the Training of Trainers (ToT) (PhD students, PhD holders, professionals).

Summer School candidates must fulfill the following conditions:

Being enrolled in a master’s degree program or holding a master’s degree.
Having knowledge of English (level B2 or higher)
A demonstrated interest in the Mediterranean region and the theme of sustainable blue economy.

In the selection of participants, we seek to ensure their geographic diversity, gender balance and young researchers’ participation.

Candidates that are also willing to participate in the Training of trainers, which will take place in parallel with summer school activities, must fulfill the following conditions:

Being a PhD candidate or holding a PhD.
A demonstrated interest or experience in teaching topics related to sustainable blue economy.
Having knowledge of English (level B2 or higher).
Coming from the North Adriatic region and/or Balkan countries
A demonstrated interest in the Mediterranean region and the theme of sustainable blue economy.

In the selection of participants, we seek to ensure their geographic diversity, gender balance and young researchers’ participation.

More Info

Dates
5 – 9 June 2023

Application deadline
28th of February at 2 PM (CET)

Application form
Link

Format

The advanced training will be organized in presence both in Trieste and in Piran, in the form of lectures, a field trip, and working groups. Further information on the agenda will be provided.

Themes and training approach

In the Summer School we offer lessons about sustainable blue economy as a whole, through a multidisciplinary approach that takes into consideration the importance of developing both hard and soft skills. Therefore, the lectures will tackle fundamental topics related to the different sectors of the sustainable blue economy, including biotechnology, fisheries and aquaculture, green shipping, marine spatial planning, renewable energy and deep sea mining. Moreover, experts will address the importance of themes such as the nexus science-policy-society, stakeholders engagement, and gender equality.This year, the Summer School will be mainly focused on supporting tools for strengthening the Sustainable Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region, through the reskilling and the upskilling of sustainable blue economy professionals.

Fees and costs

15 participants will be selected to participate in the Summer School in Piran and Trieste. No registration fees are requested and expenses including training materials, field trip, travel and accommodation costs are covered by the organizers. Any other cost, including visa and health insurance and related costs, will be covered by the selected participant.
15 participants from North-Adriatic and Balkan countries will be selected to participate in the Training of Trainers in Piran and Trieste. No registration fees are requested and expenses including training materials, field trip, travel and accommodation costs are covered by the organizers. Any other cost, including visa and health insurance and related costs, will be covered by the selected participant.

All participants need to arrange valid visas and insurances, if needed. We are able to assist with issuing a letter of acceptance but do not manage visa procedures, nor cover the costs for granting visas or insurances.

Organisation and funding acknowledgment

Availability of funding schemes for the participants: selected candidates will be financially supported by the organizations through existing financial schemes:

BLUES - Blue economy and sustainability: the EU and the Mediterranean, co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme.
Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Blue Economy, co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme.
The Blue Skills initiative, implemented by OGS and financially supported by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) within the framework of the Western Mediterranean Forum (Dialogue 5+5). Blue Skills was labelled by the Union for the Mediterranean (2019) and won the WestMED project award (2021)