The project BLUESKILLING INNOVATION, supported by Interreg Atlantic Area, analysed disparities and common findings within the maritime sector across the Atlantic Region. Its study, “Analysis of skills gaps and needs to boost blue innovation in shipbuilding and the offshore supply chain”, identifies both shared priorities and persistent challenges.
Energy transition, digitalisation, and blue innovation stand out as collective goals, though their pace and scope of implementation differ from country to country. Skills in engineering, data management, and cybersecurity are highlighted as critical to addressing future demands. Yet, the project underlines the importance of refining survey methodologies in future transnational initiatives. Harmonising tools and raising awareness among local partners could ensure more consistent and comprehensive data collection.
Disparities between countries proved significant. France, for instance, supplied complete and usable data, while Ireland and Spain faced major difficulties in gathering information. These gaps partly stem from the diversity of industrial realities across the region and from limitations in the survey tools themselves. In Ireland, the absence of active shipyards and the sector’s decline posed barriers to representative data collection. In Spain, fluctuating market conditions and restricted access to companies limited the scope of analysis.
Despite these challenges, the study provides a roadmap for closer regional collaboration. As the authors stress, stronger cooperation within the Atlantic Region will be “essential if we are to achieve the ambitious goals of blue innovation and carbon neutrality by 2050.”
Energy transition, digitalisation, and blue innovation stand out as collective goals, though their pace and scope of implementation differ from country to country. Skills in engineering, data management, and cybersecurity are highlighted as critical to addressing future demands. Yet, the project underlines the importance of refining survey methodologies in future transnational initiatives. Harmonising tools and raising awareness among local partners could ensure more consistent and comprehensive data collection.
Disparities between countries proved significant. France, for instance, supplied complete and usable data, while Ireland and Spain faced major difficulties in gathering information. These gaps partly stem from the diversity of industrial realities across the region and from limitations in the survey tools themselves. In Ireland, the absence of active shipyards and the sector’s decline posed barriers to representative data collection. In Spain, fluctuating market conditions and restricted access to companies limited the scope of analysis.
Despite these challenges, the study provides a roadmap for closer regional collaboration. As the authors stress, stronger cooperation within the Atlantic Region will be “essential if we are to achieve the ambitious goals of blue innovation and carbon neutrality by 2050.”
Publish date: 2025-09-10
