Blue Innovation and the Roles of Higher Education and Research in Developing a Blue Economy: Contributions from the IFSEA Graduate School

Oceans provide essential ecosystem services to humanity and support the seafood sector, a cornerstone of the blue economy. However, these services are increasingly threatened by major challenges such as climate change, overexploitation, and geopolitical tensions. In this context, “blue innovation” is emerging as a strategic response. It can take the form of a new or improved product or process made available to potential users or implemented by an organization, and it must relate to the blue economy. Blue innovation is grounded in principles of sustainability and transdisciplinarity. It is approached systemically, with a focus on the interactions among actors within the blue economy ecosystem for its generation and diffusion. This presentation will introduce the session dedicated to blue innovation. It will also present the IFSEA Graduate School, led by the University of Littoral Côte d’Opale, whose research activities are fully aligned with this theme.