EurOcean participated in the International Symposium on Transformative Ocean Science, held in Venice, Italy, from 24 to 27 March 2026 and organised by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Italian National Research Council (CNR-ISMAR). The symposium brought together leading scientists, policymakers, research organisations, funding bodies and ocean stakeholders to discuss how ocean science can evolve to better support Europe’s environmental, societal and governance challenges within the framework of the future European Ocean Pact.

 

The event provided an important international platform to reflect on the transformations needed in ocean research, governance and innovation to strengthen the role of marine science in European policymaking and implementation processes. Discussions addressed key themes including ocean observation, biodiversity, deep-sea exploration, ethics, transdisciplinarity, innovation, and the science-policy-society interface.

 

EurOcean was represented during Roundtable 2 – Stakeholders Perspectives: Transformative Ocean Science Contributions to the Ocean R&I Strategy, through the participation of Giuseppe Magnifico, Steering Committee Member of EurOcean. The roundtable gathered representatives from major ocean science and policy organisations, including the European Marine Board, EuroMarine Association, JPI Oceans, the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute (USA), and SEA-EU.

 

During the roundtable discussion, EurOcean’s intervention focused on two central questions related to the future of the European Ocean Research & Innovation Strategy and the long-term success of the Ocean Pact: how ocean literacy and citizen engagement can become structural pillars of European ocean policy, and whether sustained political and financial support for ocean initiatives can be achieved without stronger societal engagement.

 

In addressing these questions, EurOcean highlighted that Europe already produces a vast amount of marine knowledge through its research institutions, infrastructures and collaborative initiatives. However, this knowledge often remains fragmented and insufficiently accessible to policymakers, educators, stakeholders and citizens. EurOcean stressed that strengthening ocean literacy and public engagement requires more than communication activities alone; it requires a stronger and more connected ocean knowledge ecosystem capable of making marine knowledge visible, accessible and usable beyond the scientific community.

 

EurOcean also underlined the importance of improving collaboration between research institutions, policymakers, education systems and civil society, ensuring that ocean knowledge can effectively support decision-making, public awareness and long-term policy implementation.

 

Within this context, EurOcean emphasised its potential role as a strategic interface between the marine Research & Innovation community and the European Commission, particularly in support of the future Ocean Pact and the development of new initiatives such as a European Ocean Observation and Research Strategy. EurOcean highlighted the importance of creating stronger two-way knowledge flows between the R&I community and policymakers, helping ensure that scientific knowledge can effectively inform both policy design and implementation.

 

The discussion further reinforced the need for integrated and accessible marine knowledge systems capable of supporting evidence-based policymaking, societal engagement and sustained political commitment to ocean priorities.

 

The symposium also contributed to the development of strategic outputs intended to support future European ocean policies and initiatives, including a White Paper on Transformative Ocean Science, a Policy Brief addressed to European institutions and international partners, and a Strategic Roadmap identifying priorities for future ocean research and innovation actions, including contributions to FP10 and future Ocean Pact implementation.

 

As an organisation committed to strengthening the European ocean knowledge ecosystem, EurOcean welcomed the opportunity to contribute to these discussions and to engage with key international actors working towards a sustainable, knowledge-based and science-informed future for the ocean.

 

More information about the symposium is available on the official event website:International Symposium on Transformative Ocean Science.