Our work | WIN

What we do

Whether they want to become marine biologists, ship cruise captains, or surfers, we want to help women to enter and climb their career ladder in the blue economy, fulfilling their ambitions and inspiring them to dream big.

Using a bottom-up approach, we aim to advance current knowledge on gender issues across BuE sectors in EU and bring forward new ideas and solutions to build on women professional skills and potential.

Work packages

Work Packages (WPs) are groups of activities and actions that define the work being done in the project. WIN-BIG consists of 5 WPs that are interrelated and coordinated by WP1, which is responsible for project management and administration. Our activities are supported by a top-notch advisory board and a wide stakeholder network that extends beyond EU borders.

Mapping and Intelligence Gathering WP2

We design surveys and systems to collect relevant gender and capacity gaps information on women's roles and needs across blue economy sectors and sea basins and foster women climbing the blue leadership ladder. From the systematic analysis of these data, we will develop the WIN-BIG living Blue Economy Gender Database, providing a detailed status of women in blue economy at the EU and sea basin levels for both traditional and emerging sectors.

Linking and Networking WP3

Based on the data collected and analysed, we deliver model networking and job fair events for women in BuE specifically targeted to each sea basin. Through regional and cross-basin networking and linking strategies, we aim to boost women-to-women empowerment and partnerships, strengthen the links and synergies between women in the blue sectors, and promote cross-border and cross-sectoral sharing of knowledge and best practices.

Boosting and Capacity Building WP4

We deliver capacity-building and training initiatives for women to support innovation and sustainability in BuE, including women learning labs, female-centered acceleration programs and basin-specific e-learning tailored to the identified geographical skillsets need. Through our regional and transnational networks, we aim to further engage and leverage female BuE workforce capacities across Europe and encourage women’s participation in decision-making positions and entrepreneurship.

Sharing and Nurturing WP5

We promote female role models and women’s leadership to debunk gender bias, boost women’s empowerment, and inspire more and younger women to pursue a blue career.

Advisory Board & Stakeholder Network

Our focus

Our actions focus on 3 highly technological and emerging blue sectors

Blue bioeconomy is a large group of sectors, encompassing blue biotechnology, sustainable aquaculture, food production and similar activities. It refers to the use of renewable, living aquatic resources such as algae, sponges, fish, crustaceans and microorganisms for economic growth and job creation, while also preserving and restoring the ocean ecosystem. It is a crucial area for investment and innovation to support the transition towards a more sustainable and circular economy.
Blue sports and sustainable tourism, such as surfing, sailing or diving, aim to promote green activities in coastal and marine areas that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources while also providing economic benefits, accelerating the green and digital transition and improving resilience
Marine energy and robotics focus on developing and deploying innovative technologies that harness the power of the ocean to generate clean energy while also reducing the environmental impact of offshore activities. Robotics play a crucial role in this effort by enabling remote monitoring, maintenance, and repair of offshore energy infrastructure.

Sea basins

Our vast outreach covers all 6 European sea basins – Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean, Baltic, North, Arctic and Black Seas – with the ambition to extend beyond the EU borders through our extended network of associated and supporting organisations.