The ECO_MARE project aims at the creation of a network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and NGOs involved in the field of sustainable marine management and communication of related issues. The coordinated work of the project network will produce an innovative education pathway for higher education students and a number of project outputs to improve the quality of education in the subject of marine management and communication. The project ideation was based on the assumption that students from academic programmes receive an inclusive education to enter the world of scientific research but lack the know-how to effectively communicate and disseminate their results to different target audience (e.g. policy makers, private companies, citizens, schools, etc.). Thus, a number of non-academic institutions, active in the field of communication of marine management strategies and related issues, will collaborate with the HEIs to create an innovative transdisciplinary academic educational pathway. In parallel innovative material will be produced and made available to any researcher, teacher or student interested in the topic of the project. All project partners are based on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and are involved in research and communication activities for the sustainable management of the Mediterranean marine environment. Indeed teaching activities contents and outputs of the project focus specifically on strategies and related challenges for the sustainable management of the Mediterranean marine environment.
The MARINE_ECOMED project aimed at the creation of a network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) involved in the field of sustainable marine management and communication of related issues. The project conception was based on the assumption that students from academic programmes receive an inclusive education to enter the world of scientific research but lack the know-how to effectively communicate and disseminate their results to different target audience (e.g. policy makers, private companies, citizens, schools, etc.). Thus, a number of non-academic institutions, active in the field of communication of marine management strategies and related issues, collaborated with the HEIs to create an innovative transdisciplinary academic educational pathway. In parallel innovative educational and research material was produced and made available to any researcher, teacher or student interested in the topic of the project. All project partner organisations are based on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and are involved in research and communication activities related to the sustainable management of the Mediterranean marine environment. Indeed, teaching activities and project outputs contents focused specifically on strategies and related challenges for the sustainable management of the Mediterranean marine environment. The experts from six partner organisations and one associated organisation collaborated in the implementation of the project to organise and lead the main activities developed. The profile of the experts collaborating to the project was specifically selected to ensure the integration of different expertises around the multidisciplinary topic of sustainable management of the Mediterranean marine environment. To this goal researchers and practitioners in Oceanography, Spatial planning, Environmental Sciences and Science Communication were involved. The coordinated work of the project partnership produced as main results an innovative Intensive Study Programme on Planning (ISP), for higher education students and several project outputs to improve the quality of education in the subject of marine sciences, ocean management and communication of related subjects. The ISP, was a multidisciplinary innovative educational pathway for higher education students set over three different editions. It involved over its three editions a total of 62 students from different nationalities and disciplines and was issued through the collaboration of 24 professionals from the partner institutions. Impact on a wider audience was ensured through the organization of three multiplier events during which the project achievements and outputs were presented. The multiplier events were organized in the form of public conferences around the main subject of marine management and science communication, that gathered the professionals and students involved in the project development, together with other experts and stakeholders external to the partnership. The project outputs include the “MARINE_ECOMED MOOC on Planning and management of marine and coastal areas” and the “Handbook on Integrated Ocean Management”, which were made publicly available through the project official website (https://www.marine-ecomed.net/) in an open access and freely accessible format.