2022 SOST Opportunities and Actions Roundtable
Summary: In order to drive innovation in the technical, coastal resilience, sustainability and aquaculture aspects of the Blue Economy, individuals well trained in STEM must be paired with economic and business skills. Although there are some opportunities for individuals to take their science training and conduct translational research to move their ideas into an applied space, the additional of the business skills is usually at a much later stage then scientific training. An earlier integration of business and science skills would greatly improve and change the motivation and goals for individuals seeking to marry scientific advancement with societal needs. Unfortunately, funding for such programs is limited to non-existent at the undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral stages. Developing funding opportunities student and postdoc programs in applied coastal and ocean sciences is critical for blue economy innovation and workforce development. Such funding opportunities could be targets to ensure participation from underrepresented communities.
Sector: Academia
Organization: University of North Carolina WIlmington
POC: Ken Halanych, halanychk@uncw.edu
Other Contacts: Chris Blanco Blancoc@uncw.edu