Closing the gap: Innovation companies linking academia and industry in the blue economy sector

As the demand for qualified employees in the blue economy sectors continues to rise, both academia and industry spot an emerging gap that makes it complicated for students to find good jobs and for companies to find qualified employees.

Across many sectors, innovation companies like Blått Kompetansenter are stepping in to bridge this gap. The "Blue Competence Centre" was founded in mid-Norway in 2015. It has a public-private ownership structure and works to create links between seafood producers, educational organisations, technology and equipment suppliers, and research institutes.

In Sistranda, a village on the east side of the island of Frøya, Euronews had the opportunity to speak with Elisabeth Nordin, the Communication Advisor at Blått Kompetansenter working on the EU-supported BRIDGES project, which focuses on improving aquaculture education and training in the Nordic countries.

"In the local community that we have here at Frøya, the importance of collaborating between the industry and schools is highlighted, but the capacity to do so can be a bit lacking.

"So both public and private organisations came together to organise a "Blue Competence Centre" to help them with their collaboration efforts. This can be everything from recruitment to helping schools and industries work together in projects and also helping them with developing innovative ideas, innovation in general, as well as helping both students at Guri Kunna and people in the region to establish their own companies and help them with their entrepreneurial efforts.

"Academia, schools, industries and innovation companies, they often work in their own bubbles and seldom come together on the same platform. So what we offer as an innovation company is to be that connecting factor and to help them see the possibilities with how to collaborate in both ways that have been tried and tested, but also new ways."