From evidence to action: WIN-BIG closes its journey in Aveiro

Hosted by the coordination team at the University of Aveiro, the final event brought together project partners, researchers, policymakers, Blue Economy professionals and stakeholders to look back at what WIN-BIG has achieved, share its key results and, most importantly, ask a bigger question: what comes next?

From data to action

The day opened with a look back at the WIN-BIG journey and the evidence built throughout the project. Over the past three years, WIN-BIG has worked to better understand the position of women across Europe’s Blue Economy, mapping gender status and capacity gaps across six sea basins and three emerging sectors: Blue Bioeconomy, Blue Sports and Sustainable Tourism, and Marine Energy and Robotics.

But collecting data was only the starting point. The project's outputs showcase brought together the different strands of this work, from gender research and networking to capacity building, Learning Labs and communication activities. Together, they show how WIN-BIG has moved from identifying challenges to developing practical resources that can help women navigate careers, build skills, find connections and make their voices heard.

And there is plenty to take forward. The project's Gender Status Reports, e-learning modules, policy recommendations, networking spaces and other resources will remain available as tools for researchers, policymakers, organisations and Blue Economy professionals beyond the end of the project.

A body of work, and a community behind it

One of the most important messages from the day was that WIN-BIG was never only about numbers. It was also about the people behind them. Across three years, the project created opportunities for women from different sectors and sea basins to meet, exchange experiences, learn from one another and build new connections. It created spaces for conversations that do not always happen in traditionally male-dominated Blue Economy sectors.

That human side of the project was particularly visible during the opening of the Women Ocean Champions exhibition. The exhibition brings together portraits of women working across Europe’s Blue Economy, showing just how many different paths can lead to a career connected to the sea. Their stories challenge the idea that there is one typical Blue Economy career, or one typical way to contribute to the future of our oceans. The exhibition is part of the wider Women Ocean Champions initiative, alongside the book featuring 100 first-person stories and portraits of women working across the European Blue Economy. At the final event, copies of the book were distributed to participants, bringing these stories directly into the hands of the people who can share them further.

What happens after WIN-BIG?

Closing a project does not mean closing the conversation. That was the focus of the afternoon roundtable, “Advancing Gender Equality in EU and the Blue Economy: Beyond WIN-BIG”, which brought together perspectives from research, industry, policy and the project itself. The discussion looked beyond the project's lifetime and towards the changes still needed to make the Blue Economy more inclusive. WIN-BIG has generated evidence and resources, but putting them to use will require continued commitment from policymakers, organisations, businesses, researchers and the wider Blue Economy community. The message was clear: the work does not stop because the project does.

Ending with stories

There was perhaps no better way to close the day than with a story. The final event ended with the Portuguese premiere of Women from the Sea – Significant Gestures, the European episode produced by Help Images and directed by Raquel Clemente Martins in collaboration with WIN-BIG. The documentary puts women and their relationships with the sea at the centre, showing the many different ways they contribute to the Blue Economy, from research and innovation to entrepreneurship, fisheries and coastal communities. It was an emotional ending to a day that had begun with data and results, bringing the discussion back to the people at the heart of the project.

A final chapter, not the end of the story

WIN-BIG may have reached the end of its funded journey, but the work it leaves behind is designed to keep moving. The data can inform future research and policy. The Learning Labs and e-learning resources can continue supporting skills development. The networks created through the project can keep growing. The Women Ocean Champions can continue to provide visibility and role models. And the evidence, recommendations and experiences gathered over the past three years can help shape what comes next for gender equality in Europe’s Blue Economy.

From the beginning, WIN-BIG set out to make women’s contribution to the Blue Economy more visible, better understood and better supported. In Aveiro, we celebrated how far that work has come. Now it is up to all of us to keep the momentum going.

Explore the WIN-BIG results and resources in our Living Gender Database