Mistra Co-Creation Better Blue (C2B2)

Research Project, 2023 – 2027

Mistra Co-Creating Better Blue (C2B2) has a vision of a more sustainable, open and democratic blue economy that involves additional sectors and actors. Through LivingLabs, co-creating processes will be applied in three case studies.

Co-Creating Better Blue (C2B2) see an urgent need to radically change the way we regard and use the sea. This is above all because an increasing number of actors have a growing interest in the sea. Success depends on various stakeholders meeting each other in constructive dialogue. New forms of collaboration need to be created and be anchored in science-based and ecosystem-based management. The goal is to steer away from strategies for individual sectors and develop an overall perspective for Sweden’s blue economy. Co-Creating Better Blue sees three clear paths that will lead to this: data, people and systems.

The research programme focuses on a well-developed collaboration with the intended users of the research findings – stakeholders who, at various levels, are involved in governing the sea. Co-Creating Better Blue therefore consists of a large consortium of 13 partners from academia and research organisations, 25 co-funded partners from industry and the public sector, and stakeholders from civil society. The University of Gothenburg will be the programme host.

Through LivingLabs, co-creating processes will be applied in three case studies. The aim is to ensure the introduction of a management process and a long-term knowledge system for science-based ecosystem governance, which will live on after the end of the research programme and can be used elsewhere in Sweden and abroad. The international panel of experts who have assessed the programme proposals submitted in the call for proposals particularly highlight the programme’s scientific and transdisciplinary approach and the LivingLabs methodology.

The research programme starts september 2023.