As Europe’s coastal regions face growing environmental, economic and social pressures, innovation in the blue economy is increasingly shifting from isolated initiatives towards collaborative, territory-based ecosystems. In this article, Sérgio Leandro, a marine biologist and Scientific Coordinator at Hub Azul Peniche, explores how Living Labs are emerging as a powerful framework for connecting maritime clusters, start-ups, academia and coastal communities in real-world innovation environments.
The ocean has always been a place for the exchange of goods, knowledge and culture. Today, it is also becoming a frontier for innovation. Across Europe, coastal regions are redefining their futures through the convergence of science, entrepreneurship and community involvement.
In this transformation, Living Labs – defined as open, real-world environments where academia, industry and citizens co-create solutions – are emerging as the beating heart of maritime clusters. They are not laboratories in the traditional sense, but collaborative ecosystems where innovation meets identity and economic ambition aligns with ecological and social regeneration.
The Hub Azul Peniche exemplifies this movement: a dynamic platform for coastal innovation where start-ups, researchers and local stakeholders are experimenting with new ways of linking knowledge, sustainability and regional development.
From Cluster to Ecosystem: The New Dynamics of the Blue Economy
For decades, maritime clusters have served as catalysts for competitiveness, fostering cooperation between businesses, research centres and public institutions. As the blue economy continues to diversify, encompassing areas such as biotechnology, aquaculture, tourism and digital ocean technologies, these clusters must now evolve beyond industrial coordination.
The new paradigm is ecosystem-based. It brings together not only businesses, but also universities, local authorities and citizens, recognising that sustainable growth depends on cross-sectoral learning and shared governance. This approach creates continuous feedback loops, enabling ideas to be tested, validated and scaled up more effectively.
Innovation emerges where different worlds intersect — where a fisherman’s traditional knowledge meets a data scientist’s algorithm, and where a marine biologist collaborates with a start-up founder to develop bio-based materials. The Hub Azul Peniche seeks to operate at these intersections, linking the regional maritime cluster with education, entrepreneurship and civic engagement to support a coherent “innovation corridor” along the Portuguese coast.
The Living Lab Approach: Transforming Coastal Communities into Hubs of Innovation
Living Labs provide the practical framework for this integration. They are places where experimentation meets public policy, and where students, researchers and citizens can prototype solutions in real-world conditions, bridging the gap between concept and implementation.
In coastal regions such as Peniche — a coastal town with deep-rooted ties to fishing, surfing and marine research — the Living Lab model builds on existing strengths to create open and collaborative spaces for innovation. Rather than being fixed infrastructure, Living Labs function as dynamic ecosystems which are tailored to local needs and opportunities.
A Living Lab strategy geared towards the future of the blue economy typically focuses on three transformational areas:
• Regenerative aquaculture and marine biotechnology: to promote circular and low-impact production models and to validate new bioproducts in collaboration with local producers.
• Sustainable tourism and coastal management: to promote the integration of scientific research, innovation and entrepreneurship with a view to developing innovative business models.
• The digital ocean and smart technologies: to support the development of data-driven solutions for environmental monitoring, resource efficiency and coastal resilience.
These Living Labs function as micro-ecosystems that link education, research and industry, whilst providing testing environments, community engagement and relevant insights for public policies aimed at coastal regeneration.
Entrepreneurship as a Bridge: Start-ups as Agents of Regional Change
Start-ups turn knowledge into practical applications, often more quickly than established players. In the blue economy, they act as connectors between academia and the markets. Through incubators, mentoring programmes and access to testing environments, start-ups co-develop solutions with researchers and students, benefiting from real-world data, user feedback and early-stage validation.
This dynamic, driven by entrepreneurship, can lead to three forms of territorial transformation:
- Talent retention, in coastal areas, by offering career opportunities beyond the traditional sectors.
- Economic diversification, thereby reducing dependence on seasonal or extractive activities.
- Social innovation, addressing local challenges such as waste reduction and inclusive tourism.
Start-ups are therefore not merely beneficiaries of the ecosystem; they are co-creators of its resilience.
Universities as Anchors: Building Skills and Capacity for Transformation
Higher education institutions are key pillars of innovation ecosystems. As well as training professionals, they contribute to skills development, the translation of research and community engagement.
In regions such as Peniche, this model is already taking shape. For example, higher education at the Polytechnic University of Leiria is evolving into a locally-based innovation ecosystem that incorporates living lab methodologies and problem-based learning (PBL). Students and researchers are collaborating with businesses, local authorities and civil society organisations to tackle complex coastal challenges, such as erosion, sustainable tourism and community resilience.
By linking learning environments to real local needs, the University becomes a catalyst for local regeneration. Learning becomes a lived experience that empowers students and citizens to co-create solutions and shape the future of coastal communities.
Conclusion: Regeneration Through Connection
The greatest strength of the blue economy lies in its ability to connect people, ideas and regions. By linking maritime clusters, start-ups and academia within the framework of living labs, we are not only promoting innovation, but also building social capital, restoring identity and revitalising coastal life.
In Peniche (Portugal), this transformation is already evident. It shows that the future of the blue economy is shaped not only by technology or investment, but by collaboration rooted in the local area, where education, entrepreneurship and the community together form the tide that drives regeneration.
