Internationally speaking, Flanders has a strong and diverse range of marine and maritime companies and research institutes. The brochure 'Gearing up our blue knowledge' provides an overview and showcase of our expertise and capabilities. It is a joint product of VLIZ, Blue Cluster, the Provincial Development Agency (POM) West Flanders, and the Department of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy (WEWIS). The brochure was first published in 2021 in the context of the United Nations–proclaimed Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030). On the occasion of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice (9–13 June), the brochure received a second update in 2025.
2021 marked the start of the UN Ocean Decade, a ten-year period in which the United Nations sees more and better ocean science as crucial to sustainable development. To mark this launch, VLIZ and its partners released the brochure ‘Gearing up our blue knowledge – Tackling ocean challenges in the UN Decade of Ocean Science’.
However, the blue economy and marine/maritime knowledge community are constantly evolving, and much has changed in Flanders since 2021. Think of floating solar panels off the Belgian coast, the energy island, and the cultivation of Belgian mussels in the coastal zone. There is also the InnovOcean Campus as a new hub for marine knowledge institutes, the rapid development of marine robotics, and digital applications such as the Digital Twin of the Ocean.
Also in 2025, VLIZ and the Streekhuis Kust of the Province of West Flanders launched KustINzicht 2025. This scientifically grounded reference work serves as a region-specific knowledge guide. It brings together coastal figures, processes and phenomena in an accessible way. KustINzicht 2025 is aimed specifically at local policymakers and stakeholders, offering a broad, data-driven view of the key current challenges and opportunities facing our coast. Its ambition goes further than simply providing figures and insights: by addressing the coast’s social, economic and ecological dimensions in one publication, it becomes clear that this unique region cannot be viewed from a single perspective.