Intense ProBleu In-Person Progress Meeting Kicks Off Final Phase

Between 25 and 28 June, representatives of the ProBleu consortium gathered in Kaunas, Lithuania, for a four-day in-person meeting to review achievements to date and plan for the project’s final stretch. Hosted by the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) team—including Eglė, Audronė, Vaidas, Ineta, Irena, Aistė, Giedrius and Renata—the event took place at a critical juncture: all funding calls have closed, and ProBleu is entering its last year.

Over the course of the sessions, participants reflected on key successes so far:

• Calls for Grants: Outreach has reached 635 schools across 44 countries, and 79 schools in 31 countries have already received funding (with results from the final call still pending).
• Communication Campaigns: Initiatives such as the Linguistic Ambassadors programme—alongside campaigns led by funded schools—have significantly raised ProBleu’s profile.
• Resource Catalogue Launch: The newly released catalogue of teaching materials has already been downloaded 305 times by the wider community.
• Growth of Blue Schools Network: The number of ProBleu “Blue Schools” in Europe has surged from 130 at the project’s start to 673 as of June 2025.
• Collaborations: Ongoing partnerships with sister projects SHORE, BlueLightS and Pharos—plus connections within the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” network—have strengthened our collective impact.

Looking ahead to the final phase, the consortium identified these priorities:

• Long-Term Sustainability: Ensuring the ProBleu website and Resource Catalogue remain active and up-to-date beyond the project’s lifetime.
• Impact Evaluation: Analysing over 2,390 student surveys (currently underway at KTU) to measure how ProBleu activities have deepened learners’ understanding of water and ocean culture.
• Community Engagement: Developing strategies to encourage the broader educational community to embrace and advance the EU mission’s objectives.
• Legacy Planning: Designing a roadmap so Europe’s Blue Schools network continues to grow after ProBleu concludes.

The Advisory Board joined remotely to offer insights and fresh ideas for achieving these final objectives.

In-person meetings are rare in large EU projects, so the team maximised every opportunity for discussion, cultural exchange and team-building. Evenings in Kaunas were dedicated to exploring the city’s rich heritage, visiting the Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis Museum, the science centre and its almost-private planetarium, as well as iconic landmarks like the centric City Fountain and the “Taškas” sculpture.

A heartfelt thank you to our dynamic hosts at KTU for an inspiring and productive week, and to the entire ProBleu team for their dedication as we race toward the finish line!