On 29 May 2026, KIPT CoLAB hosted the CodeBLUE national workshop “The Blue Economy: Challenges and Opportunities” online, organised from CRIA at the University of Algarve in Faro, Portugal.
The session brought together around 35 participants from academia, industry, and regional institutions.
Dr. Hilal Akdemir, CodeBLUE Project Coordinator, opened the workshop by presenting the preliminary results of the project’s research. Two further sessions explored, in turn, the scientific and the industry perspectives on skills for the blue economy in tourism. Across the sessions, discussions highlighted:
- The growing need for sustainability and ocean literacy across all educational programmes
- Stronger collaboration between academia, industry, and research organisations
- The importance of practical, field-based, and interdisciplinary learning
- New competencies required for future blue economy and tourism professionals
- The role of innovation and entrepreneurship in supporting sustainable coastal development.
The workshop closed with a speed-networking session, giving participants the chance to connect around future collaboration in research, industry, and innovation. Together, these insights will feed into the development of future learning pathways and skills frameworks within the CodeBLUE project.
