The initiative for a sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean and Black Sea promoted by OGS is part of the European and international strategies of the United Nations as a contribution to growth. 
The main objective of Blue Skills lies in the intention to train a generation of scientists able to face the new climate, economic and environmental challenges. This is foreseen the creation and management of a platform of knowledge and skills on the Blue Economy and by offering suitable opportunities for qualified training that can address the emerging sectors of the Blue Economy (maritime sectors and marine science research - capacity building and skills development) and thus foster employability and positive socio-economic spin-offs on both sides of the Mediterranean.

Among these advanced training opportunities, the main ones dedicated to capacity building of young researchers and professionals in the marine and maritime sectors from the Mediterranean and Black Sea are listed below.

Summer School

Running since 2014, the short advanced training course dedicated to capacity building and skills acquisition as a contribution to a sustainable blue economy in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, is aimed at young researchers and professionals in the "blue" sectors from all over the area. The course takes place in Trieste for one week and offers a multidisciplinary programme on current topics related to the sustainable blue economy, marine sciences and maritime sectors.

Second level University Master 

The Advanced Master on Sustainable Blue Growth is a second level university course promoted by OGS in collaboration with the University of Trieste. Active since 2017, it is conducted in English and offers a hybrid modality that develops in three attended modules of two weeks each during the academic year and remotely through a virtual platform. The Master has a faculty of international experts and professors and offers a multidisciplinary programme on current topics related to the sustainable blue economy, marine sciences and maritime sectors.

Scholarships and international mobility

OGS promotes international mobility by encouraging the participation of young researchers and professionals in the fields of the blue economy to events such as conferences, specific workshops or training courses. It also promotes and supports individual mobility, knowledge exchange and circulation of talent by providing grants for research projects or internships through existing cooperation programmes (e.g. TRIL - Training and Research in Italian laboratories in collaboration with the Centre for International Physics, ICTP) or other projects in the framework of transnational partnerships (e.g. the DEEP BLUE project, co-funded by the European Commission DG Mare).
OGS also supports and finances doctoral scholarships related to the topics addressed in collaboration with the University of Trieste and the University of Venice.

By virtue of the impact generated by Blue Skills and the strategic importance of this programme at macro-regional level, it has received the Union for the Mediterranean label in 2019 and the first WestMed award in 2021.

All Blue Skills activities are supported by the Western Mediterranean Geopolitical Forum for Research, Innovation and Higher Education, or the 5+5 Dialogue, and contribute to developing science diplomacy among the countries of the Mediterranean Sea.

All active Blue Skills opportunities are available here.