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

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.