SHORE Final event: Celebrating three
years of blue education
On 15 June 2026, SHORE partners, educators, researchers, policymakers and representatives from European and international organisations gathered at Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTÜ) in Istanbul to mark the conclusion of the SHORE project.
High-level opening speeches set the tone
The event opened with a series of high-level interventions from voices across science, policy and international cooperation. YTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik welcomed attendees to the university that served as host for this milestone occasion. The European Commission was represented by Project Officer Joanna Przedrzymirska-Ziolkowska, underlining the importance of ocean literacy within the EU’s research and innovation agenda. Tatjana Hema, Coordinator at UNEP/MAP, and Levent Kuzu, Director of CC/RAC, brought an international and Mediterranean perspective to the discussions. Dominika Wojcieszek, Project Manager at the European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA), rounded out the opening with insights on blue education across Europe.
SHORE Project Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Afşin Çetinkaya
Levent Kuzu
The SHORE Project Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Afşin Çetinkaya (YTÜ), then presented an overview of SHORE’s journey and key results, reflecting on what the project has achieved across its 10 countries, 15 partners and 95 funded schools.
Three years, thousands of young ocean advocates
Over three years, SHORE reached 48,052 children and 2,700 teachers, and brought together more than 26,725 participants across events from parents and local researchers to museums and universities. A particularly telling marker of this impact: every single funded school has joined, or was already part of, the Network of European Blue Schools. Beyond the classroom, SHORE contributed directly to the objectives of the Mission Ocean & Waters from stakeholder engagement to biodiversity protection and the restoration of ocean health.
These achievements are captured in a series of final outputs, including the Handbook for teachers, the Waves of Change best practices report, and the SHORE mentorship guide, all available on the website.
BlueLightS, ProBleu and SHORE: stronger together
One of the highlights of the afternoon was a dedicated session on Making Results Last: Exploitation and Sustainability in Mission Ocean Projects, facilitated by Burcu Kiper from Crowdhelix.
The session brought together SHORE’s Mission Ocean’s sister projects BlueLightS and ProBleu to exchange perspectives on how to ensure the long-term impact of EU-funded actions in blue education. Topics included sustainability strategies, exploitation of results, and the collective legacy of the Mission Ocean & Waters community.
Eli Bonfill i Molina from ProBleu
The three projects opened by sharing their key results and exploring how their outputs are translating into real-world impact through knowledge transfer, policy influence and sustained stakeholder engagement. The conversation then turned to a question all three projects share: what happens when the funding ends? Partners exchanged approaches to keeping collaborations alive and ensuring that the work built together continues to deliver beyond the project lifetime. Burcu Kiper then presented the Mission Ocean & Waters Helix on Crowdhelix as a practical tool to do just that, keeping the broader community connected and active beyond any single project’s lifetime.
The event closed with final remarks that looked to the future: while the SHORE project may be concluding, its legacy will live on in every student, educator and Blue School it has inspired.
