Marine science and innovation strategy

Foreword : Chief Science Adviser for Scotland

As Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland, I am delighted to write the foreword for the Science and Innovation Strategy presented by the Marine Directorate. I have always been aware of how important "Marine" is for Scotland as an Island Nation: in size and scale with a particularly extensive coastline, its regional food production from seas and freshwater, its increasing potential of renewable sources of energy, and its importance to local communities in both rural and urban locations. These examples and more are encompassed in the Scottish Government's publication – the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland.

The role of science and innovation in delivering the Blue Economy Vision is, however, becoming more compelling and even more important if we, as an island nation, are to achieve the outcomes we desire from that vision. The dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss mean that the marine environment must be considered in every aspect of human activity in the marine space if we are to preserve natural resources and to minimise adverse impacts of future developments.

Science has some of the answers to these issues, and expertise is required and available from multiple disciplines, many within Scottish organisations. Research and development in engineering, marine biology, geophysics, oceanography, energy technologies and social sciences, to name but a few, is vital as the data, and evidence this provides, feeds into innovative solutions, be they new technologies, useful products, or importantly, process improvements.

Marine Directorate is the home for a considerable number of scientists working to deliver research outputs, data and modelling, and feeding into monitoring, surveillance and regulation. These scientists and engineers have a key role in supporting multiple strategies of importance to Scotland including the National Strategy for Economic Transformation, the National Innovation Strategy and, of course, the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland.

The future of science however is BIG and this often requires large teams taking interdisciplinary approaches. The Marine Directorate is a principal player alongside multiple universities and colleges, research institutes, and commercial companies and industry partners. These consortia will be required to attract the investment required to support science from Scottish, UK, and international commercial funding sources, and equally importantly to provide the knowledge that can then be implemented in relevant locations and systems.

Scotland is internationally competitive in marine science and this Science and Innovation Strategy sets out six "strategic outcomes" which the Marine Directorate, along with its partners, intend to deliver. The document also outlines "strategic enablers" which include people, data, digital, and infrastructure, all of which are essential components of any successful plan.

I consider the future for marine science to be bright and this strategy sets out the pathway to how that will happen, with the expertise of Marine Directorate's many scientists, data specialists, analysts and engineers at its core.

Julie Fitzpatric OBE

Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland