Result 2

Establishment and operation of Sustainable Blue Economy Centres for collaboration with blue industries, local authorities and other stakeholders

Result-2 aims to enhance the capacities of administrative and teaching staff of the 4 Asian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for active collaboration with stakeholders and to strengthen the partnership between HEIs and industry. The Result will address the mismatches between employer requirements and the offerings of HEIs. Additionally, it will facilitate the transfer of HEIs’ teaching and research outcomes to local coastal communities, thereby providing added social value.

The leader of Result-2 is Symplexis and the Result’s main tasks are:

• Collection of successful Quintuple Helix frameworks/models from the partner EU MSs and/or other EU MSs, assessment of their transferability to the Asian context, and elaboration of recommendations for effective adaptation/replication.
• Set up and operation of “Sustainable Blue Economy Centres”
• Capacity building of HEIs administrative and/or academic staff on developing and sustaining collaboration frameworks
• Identification of initial members and establishment of the collaboration “networks”
• Analysis of skills needs in sectors of the sustainable blue economy
• Knowledge transfer activities on sustainable blue economy for local coastal communities

Core Deliverables

The core deliverables of this Result include collecting successful Quintuple Helix models from EU Member States (MSs) and/or other EU countries, assessing their transferability to Asia, and recommending adaptations. The four Asian higher education institutions (HEIs) will establish “Sustainable Blue Economy Centres” to foster cooperation between academia, industry, authorities, and other stakeholders. HEI staff will receive appropriate training to develop and maintain collaboration frameworks. The Centres will map stakeholders, form networks, analyse skills gaps, and conduct knowledge transfer activities tailored to local needs and challenges.

Updates:

Report of successful Quintuple Helix frameworks/models

This report presents a consolidated analysis of the data collected through primary and secondary research activities realised by the project partners in Greece (Aegean Rebreath, University of Aegean, Symplexis) and Cyprus (University of Cyprus, CSI Centre for Social Innovation). It comprises an overview of the EU and national contexts on the blue economy, followed by a detailed presentation of the identified best practices and an analysis of the interview findings.

Recommendations for the effective adaptation/replication of Quintuple Helix models/practices

The document presents recommendations for adapting successful European Quintuple Helix models to Malaysia and Indonesia for a sustainable blue economy. It explores best practices from Greece and Cyprus, addressing their potential replication, local adaptation, and the challenges involved.

Capacity building programme for HEIs’ staff on developing and sustaining collaboration with stakeholders

The Capacity Building Programme aims to equip administrative and academic staff of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) with knowledge and skills on how to more effectively develop and sustain collaborations with stakeholders. The programme is organised in nine modules covering various aspects of stakeholder collaboration, and includes activities such as quizzes and case studies, to make learning more engaging and interactive.

Webinars for HEIs staff on developing and sustaining collaboration with stakeholders

In December 2024 three 3-hour webinars were organised by Symplexis, Aegean Rebreath, and University of Cyprus. The webinars were addressed to the four HEIs’ academic and administrative staff, and were focused around developing and sustaining collaboration frameworks, as part of the operation of the Sustainable Blue Economy Centres.