StakeHolders2cOdesign: Towards impactful stakeholder engagement in the Mission Ocean, Seas and Waters

The European Commission aims to protect and restore our ocean and waters through research and innovation, stakeholder engagement and blue investments. In this workshop you have the opportunity to provide input for current and future European missions.

Aiming to help create the foundations for co-creating and co-implementing the research and innovation required to achieve Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 (MO), Blue Cluster organises a workshop on StakeHolder Engagement on 17 October 2023 in Brussels.

Prep4Blue work package 6 develops a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach involving industry, public authorities, citizens, academia and associations while regarding the environment as fundamental for social innovation. 

A digital toolbox assessing criteria dependent methodologies and guidelines as well as a concept note to feed into the needs of future missions are being drafted. The aim of this workshop is to finetune these methodologies and their accuracy for the MO and to gather valuable input.  

Programme

During this workshop, the following three topics will be addressed:

  1. The challenge of stakeholder engagement: recommendations for the Mission Oceans

    In this session we will identify issues, opportunities and tips for stakeholder engagement and the mission objectives over all lighthouses: Danube, Atlantic and Arctic, North and Baltic Sea region and Mediterranean Sea. The following questions will be addressed: 

    - How can companies, policy, citizens, science and other associations support circularity, carbon neutrality, prevention and removal of pollution, protection and restoration of aquatic ecosystems? 
    - How can we all emotionally (re-)connect with the ocean and what is the role of sustainable blue economy?”
    - How can research and innovation act as a key catalyst and where lies the power of citizen involvement?
     
  2. From theory to practice/from science to policy: enhancing stakeholder engagement

    In this session we examine how to enhance stakeholder engagement in the development of research & innovation regional policies. We focus on the Open Discovery Process in the context of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3). 
     
  3. Finetuning a tool for stakeholder engagement methodology assessment and selection targeted to the MO 

    In this session we demonstrate a digital tool for stakeholder engagement methodology recommendation in MO that has been developed within the scope of the PREP4BLUE project. 

Check out the detailed programme

Below you can find the draft programme of the workshop. Please note that this programme is still subject to changes.

09:30 Introduction of the mission Oceans and waters and the Prep4Blue project 
Blue Cluster
09:40

The challenge of stakeholder engagement: recommendations for the MO

  • Stakeholder engagement methods: Promoting science-society and science-policy interfacing along the project process to bring society closer to the oceans.
    Matt Smith, Elementales, Co-Author of BiodivERsA – Stakeholder Engagement Handbook on best practice guidelines for stakeholder engagement in research projects. 
  • Co-creative design of large scale transformative projects, connecting policy makers and the large public through a co-design process. Large infrastructures in the marine environment: stakeholder involvement and carbon neutrality.
    Timothy Vanagt, Senior Project Manager at ORG Permanent Modernity
  • Integrated coastal and marine spatial planning: stakeholders and circularity.
    Wesley Flannery, Reader in Environmental Planning at Queen's University, Belfast
  • Marine pollution prevention and mitigation, focussing on stakeholder engagement
    Marisa Fernandez, Project Manager at CETMAR 

+ interactive session
12:00 Lunch break
13:00

How to enhance stakeholder engagement in the development of research & innovation regional policies
Topics:

  • Presentation of the concept/theoretical approach
  • Partnerships for Regional Innovation – Feedback from the Azores region
  • Example/best practice of stakeholder engagement in the elaboration of mission-oriented policies

+ interactive session 
15:30

Finetuning a tool for Stakeholder engagement methodology assessment and selection targeted to the MO

Presentation of the digital tool for SHEM recommendation developed in PREP4BLUE 
Maéva Vignes (University of Southern Denmark)

+ interactive session
17:00 Wrap-up and conclusions
18:00 Dining cocktail
22:00 End of the event

 

Practical details

The workshop takes place in Brussels on 17 October from 9:30 al to 5 pm.

Participation is free, but prior registration is required.

Interested in attending the workshop? Then complete the form below.

Register for the workshop

Always stay informed! Subscribe to our newsletter: 

Please note that our newsletter is in Dutch only.