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understanding a phenomenon (why) but also to help solve/alleviate a social problem (what) and
to figure out concrete solutions (how).

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THE SPECIFIC CONTRIBUTION OF SSH RESEARCH

The theme of the sea is a key example of how important is the research in the SSH fields to
tackle social problems. Blue Economy is a global economic model dedicated to creating a
sustainable marine ecosystem by transforming previously wasted substances into profitable
commodities.
If we need innovation to achieve the goal of eco-sustainable growth, one first and important
step is to share knowledge between the different actors involved (for instance sharing access to
data implementing an open science perspective) and to promote cultural innovation, a new way
of thinking, the so-called “blue thinking”, that is to think that protecting the environment is not a
constraint but it has to be seen as an opportunity. The mentioned achievements are strongly
connected with cultural changes, which allow the emergence of new behaviours, values and
attitudes, and research in SSH is very keen to produce them.
Social sciences and humanities are of crucial importance to deal with topics such as migration;
increasing inequalities, which are even stronger because of the impact of COVID-19; a shared
governance to contrast the fragmentation of the actors playing a role in the Blue Economy; the
design of new indicators for evidence-based policies, looking not only at the input-output
measures but also at the outcomes of public policies and the impact they have had.
Education and training are at the core of this process, and in this respect the actions foreseen
in the Italian National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR) are moving in the right direction.
What the Blue Economy field needs is not only education related to school or university. Training
involves efforts toward dedicated programs for advanced post-graduate training, where doctoral
positions play a major role to build professionals with highly skilled profiles, whose value can be
extremely important in different working contexts beyond the academic ones.
Training also involves interventions for lifelong learning, and a strong directionality to
increase the digital skills of the population and the soft skills – the combination of individuals’
skills, social skills, communication skills, personality traits, attitudes, mentality, career attributes,
and capability of interaction with stakeholders.
CNR is at the forefront of all the mentioned efforts, and this book indicates few examples of
actions, competences, and results produced. All these activities and results can contribute to build
a new research agenda for the sustainability of the sea.

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