MARINA
The Marina proposal overall aim is to create an all-inclusive Knowledge Sharing Platform (KSP) catalysing and organising the convergence of already existing networks, communities, on-line platforms and services providing an online socio-technical environment that facilitates and stimulates the direct engagement of researchers, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), citizens, industry stakeholders, policy and decision makers, research funders and communicators for improving Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI).
Background and Overview
Federating RRI Communities and stakeholders is a complex task mainly due to the interactions of controversial nature, the implications and consequences of the current and future research and innovation activities. This complexity ought to be modelled, clustered and approached by a systematic set of actions. This is the starting point of the MARINA philosophy.
There is still significant work to be done on better aligning EU research and innovation with societal needs, and harmonization in EU innovation policy. MARINA will make a major step forward in addressing this requirement across a range of vital societal issues through its focus on marine related challenges. Although focusing on the marine thematic area, and drawing from all (not only marine) RRI communities, projects, actors, etc. and from existing good practices and findings, the project will develop RRI-methods and policy support tools for marine related policies. However as these clearly address a range of key societal challenges the KSP developed will be highly relevant to other initiatives with a focus on other policy areas.
To this purpose a range of specific, broad scale, key strategic issues which require the full development of an RRI approach and involvement of citizens organisations and RRI actors will be taken into account as direct working examples to consolidate the RRI federation and provide relevant output to the policy makers marine issues such as but not limited to: 1) Marine Biotech, 2) Sea Transportation 3) Deep Sea Mining including bio prospecting, 4) Marine Change caused by Climate, 5) Renewable Energy (wave, wind, tidal) 6) Tourism and Coastal Cities, 7) Fishing and Aquaculture, 8) Pollution caused by human land and sea pressures.
Objectives
The MARINA project has identified the following six objectives:
1. To provide educators with an easy-to-use, open-source, dynamic, modifiable and expandable tool which they can adapt to their own learning materials and teaching requirements.
2. To take full advantage of broadband technologies and open source paradigms.
3. To attract educators with innovative tools and paradigms.
4. To create a learning environment that will be fun for any learner.
5. To provide motivational tools for learning thus decreasing dropout rates.
6. To combine diagnostic with educational tools; therefore being able to adapt learning to the specific needs, background knowledge and cultural differences of the learners.
7. To provide an educational tool that is adaptable to the learning preferences and styles of the learner exploiting contemporary research and already developed tools.
Dissemination
The e-Hoop project not only foresees the immediate exploitation and valorisation of its ideas, products and results, but it also puts in place mechanisms and process to secure that the project’s impact will continue beyond its funded life time.
The main dissemination channels used by the dissemination plan are:
- World Wide Web (project website and use of participative tools such as twitter, social bookmarking tools such as delicious, as well as project databases such as ADAM and EVE)
- Internet presence integrated with the Social Bookmarking and Networking Services delivered in the Flexible Platform for Internet Services (FPFIS)
- Publications in relevant forums, blogs & journals (e.g. Journal of Interactive Marketing)
- Media coverage (newspapers, newsletters, radio stations, professional publications)
- Events (Workshops/Conferences/Exhibitions)
- Partners’ existing networks of dissemination
- Off line promotion actions (brochures/leaflets, etc.)
- Consortium internal exploitation channels
- Special interest groups of end users
- Participation to EC concentration activities
Partners
Partners include:
- world-experts in instructional design leading the scientific grounding;
- experienced universities in educational ICT who will design and develop the system
- organizations who will engage educators to use the system, upload learning objects, promote the e-Hoop concept, as well as diverse stakeholders to participate in structured dialogue and trainings.
