Exploring the Blue Economy Through Data 

This Student Research Hub introduces students to the blue economy through a structured exploration of publicly available data and academic literature. The blue economy encompasses a wide range of coastal and maritime economic activities that play an important role in employment, value creation, and regional development across Europe and beyond. This SRH is designed to be accessible to students from different academic backgrounds.

The SRH begins with a guided literature review aimed at developing an understanding of the basic concept, scope, and economic relevance of the blue economy. Building on this foundation, students will work with openly accessible datasets, such as the EU Blue Economy Observatory and Eurostat, to explore key characteristics of blue economy activities. Each student (or small group) will focus on a specific country or sector, collecting and organising relevant data, identifying key patterns, and describing differences and similarities across cases.

This SRH emphasises a learning-by-doing approach. Students will gain hands-on experience in locating data sources, structuring datasets, calculating simple indicators, and visualising trends using tables and graphs. The focus is on developing analytical thinking, data literacy, and the ability to interpret real-world economic information in a clear and structured way. The outcomes include a written report and an oral presentation of the research findings. This SRH aims to strengthen students’ research skills while developing a data-informed understanding of the blue economy.

General learning outcomes

• Understand the basic concept and scope of the blue economy;
• Conduct a literature review on a defined research topic;
• Identify and use publicly available datasets related to blue economy activities;
• Organise and describe economic data for a selected country or sector;
• Present research findings clearly in written and oral form.