KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND POLICY IMPACT

Addressing the challenges facing the ocean and those who depend on it requires a three-way collaboration between academia, policy and industry. Therefore the University partners with private, public and third-party sector organisations – locally, nationally and internationally – in knowledge exchange activities to ensure that the research conducted here responds to real-world problems and is informed by societal needs.

Dr Wassim Dbouk, SMMI (Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute) Marine and Maritime Policy Research Fellow, creates engagement opportunities between policy and industry stakeholders in the marine and maritime sector and Southampton academics with expertise in our seas and oceans. He supports colleagues in responding to calls for evidence from Parliament and Government; designs and implements tailored policy engagement strategies to increase the impact of research projects, including through producing policy-focused outputs and running policy-focused workshops; matches policy demand with University expertise through regular relationshipbuilding activities; and fosters frameworks for collaboration with policymakers.

One example was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in January 2023. This resulted from a collaborative relationship, matching expertise at the University with policy priorities in the BVI. The MoU formalises a commitment to a growing research and education collaboration to inform decisionmaking through scientific evidence and raise local capacities to tackle environmental and societal challenges in the BVI.

Wassim has also attended the last two sessions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

He said: “These events presented invaluable opportunities to witness the proceedings of global climate change negotiations and stay up-to-date with the key gaps where research could contribute to decisionmaking. Additionally, the Blue Zone is an ideal space for networking and relationship building to scope potential research projects that colleagues across the University could engage in. During COP27, the new Ocean Pavilion in the Blue Zone was vital in facilitating such conversations and bringing key players together around a specific priority: the ocean.”

In January 2023, Wassim joined colleagues from the University and the National Oceanography Centre at a meeting hosted by the UK Parliament’s All-PartyParliamentary-Group for the Ocean, where he shared his reflections on COP27. The session, chaired by Sally-Ann Hart MP, offered an opportunity for direct engagement with MPs and Lords with an interest in ocean policy.