Predicting the future by re-imagining the present
Convening the multiple-helix for problem-solving of SHARED environmental challenges FACING the baltic sea region
The Baltic Sea is far more than a body of water — it is a lifeline to over 90 million people across eight EU nations. It weaves together the identities, economies, and futures of both coastal cities and inland rural communities, supporting everything from traditional livelihoods to cutting-edge industries.
For generations, it has been a source of Food security, through fisheries and aquaculture. It is one of the busiest transport and trade corridors of Europe, with approximately 200 ports ranging from large international hubs to smaller regional and industrial ports via bustling ports and shipping corridors . The eight EU countries bordering the Baltic Sea share a rich and diverse cultural heritage that is deeply rooted in a shared relationship with nature and the sea. This cultural connector fosters a strong tradition of respect for the environment, inter-generational knowledge, and community cohesion.The Baltic Region is a hotbed for innovation, leading the way in offshore wind energy, critical for Europe’s green transition, sustainable maritime transport and smart shipping corridors, and water technology, including nutrient reduction and circular solutions. The Blue Economy offers Jobs and economic development, particularly in coastal tourism, blue biotechnology, and marine services, as well as fisheries and aquacultures.
But this lifeline is under threat. Decades of nutrient pollution, unsustainable land practices, and warming temperatures have created the largest dead zone in Europe, choking oxygen from the seabed and endangering the food chain. Other environmental threats include over-fishing, marine litter, plastic pollution, and invasive species - the big 5. We believe the solution to common problems starts with connection. The Baltic Living Lab convenes schools, researchers, public institutions, and NGOs to co-create blue solutions through education, experimentation, and real-world collaboration. Our mission is to create the right environment, culture, and support systems that encourage people and organizations to think creatively to solve real-world problems
✅ Engage in community-powered citizen science ✅ Empower youth as agents of change
✅ Support Educators become effective learning facilitators of Blue Literacy
✅ Contribute to informed policy-making by driving policy with evidence and impact
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The Baltic Living Lab is a dynamic platform designed to tackle the complex challenges facing the Baltic Sea by activating Collaborative Leadership and working across multiple nexus—where critical systems intersect. From the water–climate–energy nexus to the education–policy–community connection, this living lab fosters holistic, cross-sectoral collaboration, bringing together schools, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, businesses, and citizens in a shared space of experimentation and dialogue. Participants co-create actionable solutions that address eutrophication, ecosystem degradation, and climate resilience—while also advancing innovation, equity, and sustainability.
By championing inclusive leadership and mutual learning, the Lab strengthens the links between science and society, governance and education, and local knowledge and regional policy. It empowers participants to listen deeply, act collectively, and lead boldly—turning shared responsibility into regional impact.
In the Baltic Living Lab, real change emerges not from silos, but from the synergy of perspectives and the willingness to lead together across borders and disciplines.
A Knowledge Hub for Collaborative Leadership
Across the Multiple Helix
The Baltic Living Lab (BLL) strengthens collaborative actions while fostering cross-border collaboration with other European basins, empowering residents, public bodies, and organizations to co-create solutions that deliver measurable environmental and social impact. Our diverse approach directly supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the Nature Restoration Regulation, and the European Green Deal, as well as EU competency frameworks, and global initiatives like the SDGs, UNESCO Ocean Decade, and others. By participating in European programming like Horizon initiatives and Erasmus+ capacity building, we mobilize communities to generate FAIR-compliant data on biodiversity and ecosystem health, while embedding awareness and behavioral change through social marketing campaigns.
Impact is amplified through capacity-building programs, training educators, NGOs, and local leaders, and engaging tens of thousands of citizens in hands-on monitoring, awareness activities, and workshops. Networking platforms connect stakeholders across borders, ensuring that results are scalable, replicable, and policy-relevant.
The Baltic Living Lab is evolving from its origins as a Horizon country hub engaging Estonian schools into a region-wide catalyst for innovation, collaboration, and sustainable transformation, scaling its impact for sustainability across the Baltic.
The strategic expansion of the Baltic Living Lab ensures that investments yield long-term sustainability, with replication toolkits, multilingual resources, and partnerships that extend impact far beyond the project lifetime. In this way, BLL contributes directly to EU climate and biodiversity goals while creating resilient, empowered communities.
Driving Blue Literacy, Citizen Science, Informed Policymaking, Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable impact
Understanding of how Earth's marine and freshwater systems influence life, climate, and ecosystems — and how human actions affect the health, resilience, and sustainability of these aquatic environments
The Baltic Living Lab showcases innovative Blue School projects designed to strengthen Blue Literacy across the hydrosphere — the interconnected system of all Earth's water bodies. This includes oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, wetlands, estuaries, reservoirs, groundwater, and watersheds, spanning both marine and freshwater environments.
Through dynamic open-schooling methodologies, these projects foster collaboration between students, educators, and the wider community — including local authorities, scientists, Blue Economy leaders, NGOs, and residents. By placing young learners at the center of real-world environmental challenges, the Baltic Living Lab encourages curiosity, co-creation, and actionable learning.
All activities directly contribute to the EU Mission: “Restore Our Oceans and Waters by 2030”, empowering coastal and inland communities to become active stewards of their local aquatic ecosystems.
Open-Schooling in Action.... transforming education into a community-centered, participatory process, where knowledge is co-created and applied to meaningful societal and environmental challenges. Learners, educators, and community members come together to explore real-life challenges, turning environmental issues into shared learning and solutions for a sustainable future
BLUE LITERACY:
Think of Blue Literacy as the what and why — the knowledge and values — that transforms learners into Agents of Change and Stewards of planetary well-being
❉ Awareness & Understanding ❉ Inter-connectedness of climate and water bodies ❉ Biodiversity and Ecosystems ❉ Human Impact affecting both marine and terrestrial ecosystems (pollution, overfishing, agricultural run-off, deforestation, fossil fuels, urbanization, bottom trawling, noise pollution, resource extraction) ❉ stewardship and sustainability behavior
Blue Education is the how — teaching and learning strategies that promote blue literacy
SUSTAINABILITY INSTRUCTION:
Blue education is the process of translating blue literacy into curricula, classroom activities, community engagement, and hands-on projects. Blue education regarding environmental challenges in Earth's water bodies, when combined with green education — addressing terrestrial environmental challenges — makes sustainability real and relevant through experiential learning, citizen science, and collaborative projects. In short, blue literacy is what we aim to build, and blue education is how we get there.
Join the Baltic Living Lab community of educators and researchers, policymakers, Blue Economy industry leaders, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and every-day people explore proven tools, resources, and real-world examples that support sustainability instruction and spark long-term stewardship of our shared blue planet.
Blue Education embraces a rich variety of strategies that empower learners and educators alike—from structured lesson plans and curriculum pathways to hands-on environmental monitoring, citizen science, and immersive digital tools that connect classrooms to real-world challenges
Think of Blue Literacy as the what and why — the knowledge and values — that transform learners into Agents of Change and Stewards of planetary well-being
❉ multimedia public education campaigns ❉ Interactive board games/AR/VR ❉ Community Mapping & Action Plans ❉ Teacher Training guides on blue topics and pedagogy ❉ Exhibitions/Public Events ❉ Twinning programs and cross-border collaboration ❉ physical and virtual mobility between students, teachers, and school administrators ❉ Co-creation workshops with local scientists, NGOs, and fishers ❉ Open access publications
❉ Lesson Plans and Teaching Routes ❉ Water-Quality/Plastic Pollution monitoring and data reporting ❉ biodiversity surveys using citizen science apps
Refers to the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources.
In Citizen Science, a broad network of people collaborate. These can include people of all ages, from all sectors, at any stage of the learning process. Participants who engage in citizen science provide experimental data and facilities for researchers, raise new questions, and co-create a new scientific culture. While they add value, volunteers acquire new learning and skills and gain a deeper understanding of the scientific work in appealing ways. As a result of this open, networked and transdisciplinary scenario, science-society-policy interactions are improved, leading in turn to a more democratic research based on evidence and informed decision-making.
Hands-on experiential learning promotes citizen science at an early age, where students from primary- and secondary-school classrooms actively collect and analyze environmental data, share their experience through storytelling, and connecting with their community to inspire change
Citizen Science
❉ Transnational and regional cooperation ❉ Partnerships between education, research, policy, NGOs, and business ❉ Sustainable technologies for oceans and coasts ❉ Nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration ❉ Smart monitoring and digital tools ❉ Circular economy approaches to marine resources ❉ Scaling ideas from pilot to practice ❉ Cross-Sector Collaboration ❉ Co-creation of solutions with local communities ❉ Shared responsibility for the Baltic Sea ❉ Inclusive participation and knowledge exchange
Innovative Blue Projects
Connecting our readers with innovative blue school projects supporting the EU mission ocean.
Explore Blue Literacy Practices
Engage with projects driving change across Europe and beyond.
Funding Opportunities Dialogue
Discuss future funding for blue projects and initiatives with stakeholders.
Project Review Insights
Access insights into existing projects fostering transparency and collaboration in blue economy.
Opportunities for Collaboration
SAVE THE DATE - 15-16 November, 2025
"DIGIBLUE" is this year's challenge at DigiEduHack.com, designed to foster a stronger connection among participants to our vital aquatic ecosystems. This hackathon is more than just an event; it's an opportunity to inspire future generations and instill a sense of blue citizenship.
Denmark - hosted by University of Copenhagen
Estonia - hosted by the Estonian Business School
Poland - hosted by Gdynia Acquarium
Sweden - hosted by Malmö Marine Education Center
Organized by Bonolab, Denmark
Contact: Piret@Bonolab.com
TEACHER TRAINING FOR ESTONIA
A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean
Deadline: 24 September 2025 F&T OPEN CALLS
Food Waste Prevention and Reduction at household level
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-04-two-stage
Deadline: 4 September 2025 F&T OPEN CALLS
Living labs to enhance soil health in Continental, Boreal and Alpine biogeographical regions
HORIZON-MISS-2025-05-SOIL-01-two-stage
Deadline: 4 September 2025 F&T OPEN CALLS
NORDIC CULTURE POINT'S Norden 0-30 supports projects led by children and young people up to the age of 30. The program helps build their skills, influence, and involvement in political, cultural, and social activities.www.nkk.org/en/norden-0-30-grant-programme/
REINFORCING - 5th ORRI Incubator call https://www.reinforcing.eu/open-calls/current-calls
Increasing environmental resilience through a better knowledge and management of the soil-water nexus
Deadline: 16 September 2025
EU Mission Lighthouse Coordination and Support Activities
Deadline: 24 September 2025
Second Call for Blue Lights Blue School Projects
Deadline: 25 September 2025
Erasmus+ Small-scale Partnerships (in education, training, school, adult, youth Second (optional) round: 1 October 2025 at 12:00 for projects beginning January–August 2026
Short-term projects for mobility of learners and staff in adult education (KA122-ADU)
Õuesõppe meetod veekirjaoskuse tõstmiseks
Toimumisaeg ja koht: 8. oktoober, 10:00 -15:00, 2025, Tallinna lähistel
Küsimuste korral võtke ühendust: Piret Liv Stern Dahl, koordinaator, info@blueanew.eu
Kutsume üldharidus- ja kutsekoolide õpetajaid, arendusjuhte jt huvilisi osalema koolitusel, kus on fookuses õuesõpe veekirjaoskuse kontekstis.
Koolituse põhiosas toimub grupitöö väiksemates gruppides. NB! Ettevalmistus koolituseks hõlmab 1h iseseisvat õpet interaktiivsel kursusel sinimajanduse veekirjaoskuse hariduse teemal.
Kava:
10.00 Koolituse sissejuhatus ja päevakava
10.15 X / Jana Liiv, Huvi outdoor MTÜ
12.00 Lõuna
12:30 X jätkab
13:45 Loeng
14:15 Grupitöö
14:45 Kokkuvõtted
15:00 Päeva lõpp
Explore the Baltic Living Lab Blog:
Collaboration, Sustainability, EU Mission Ocean Insights
Explore the Baltic Living Lab Blog, the SHORE Resource Hub powered by Horizon Europe in support of the EU Mission Ocean. This dissemination mechanism brings together educators, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, community leaders, and citizen scientists across eight Baltic Sea EU member states. Dive into deep discussions on citizen science, blue education sustainability instruction, sustainable innovation, and collaborative multi-helix problem-solving to protect and preserve this vital regional ecosystem. From cross-border projects to innovative marine- and freshwater ecosystem learning initiatives, the blog delivers inspiring stories, practical insights, research findings, and policy updates. Whether readers are educators seeking blue literacy resources, researchers exploring marine innovation, representing an NGO like us, advocating for coastal resilience, or a policymaker shaping sustainable strategies, this blog invites you to engage, contribute, and connect. Join our growing network committed to safeguarding the Baltic Sea’s rich natural heritage through shared knowledge, hands-on initiatives, and future-focused collaboration.
#BalticLivingLab #HorizonSHORE #CitizenScience #BalticSea #BlueEconomy #BlueLiteracy #Blue Education #hydrosphere #CrossBorderCollaboration #BalticRegion #BalticInnovation #BalticSustainability #CoastalResilience #eutrophication #biodiversity #habitat #freshwaterecosystems #TwinTransition
Addressing environmental challenges
Common to the eight EU Countries
Bordering the Baltic Sea
★★★★★★★★
★ Denmark ★
★ Estonia ★
★ Latvia ★
★ Lithuania ★
★ Poland ★
★ Germany ★
★ Sweden ★
★ Finland ★
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Baltic Living Lab is a SHORE Resource Hub funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program in support of the EU Mission Ocean
