Sustainable development driven by blue economy is a shared vision for the Euro-Mediterranean area and of concern to both Northern and Southern Mediterranean countries. It is based on the recognition of both the vulnerabilities of seas and oceans, and their potential for growth. It promotes smart solutions for marine and maritime challenges within the framework of sustainable development.

The goal of the summer school is to support the creation of stable and attractive career pathways and skilled talents that will be needed to support the expansion of marine and maritime sectors.

Specific objectives of the summer school are:

• to increase professional skills and the quality of research in marine sciences and governance, climate-related aspects, environmental protection and integrated management of coastal areas;

• to increase the educational offer in support of the current economic development and growth, with particular focus on activities and aspects related to the sea;

• to identify actions, partnerships and financing instruments that can help scale-up activities that ultimately result in sharing research outcomes and disseminating scientific knowledge.

This summer school is co-organised by OGS and EMUNI. The Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics works within the framework of its Blue Growth Initiative supported by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) as part of the Italian contribution to the Western Mediterranean Forum (Dialogue 5+5) and submitted for labelling to the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). The Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) was established as one of six priorities of the UfM in 2008 and has since 2017 identifies the issue of blue growth as key areas of its strategic orientation.