Social-innovation pathways for the blue bioeconomy: Evidence from BlueRev

Marine and coastal regions that depend on natural resources face challenges such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and social inequities that cannot be addressed by technical solutions alone. This study examines social innovation as a tool for fostering sustainable blue bioeconomy transitions. We applied qualitative methods, including document analysis, semi-structured interviews, and participatory workshops, in four pilot regions: Denmark, Estonia, Italy, and Greenland. Previous literature and regional studies have identified core features of social innovation in the blue bioeconomy; however, important gaps remain. In particular, while equity, governance, and innovation processes have been explored, the influence of local social filters, including community norms, institutional histories, and capability constraints, on innovation pathways and subsequent policy uptake has received limited attention. We identified eight social innovation frameworks, such as the Quadruple Helix, Collective Impact, and Living Lab models, and investigated how they were adopted and adapted across four contexts, highlighting the enabling conditions for replication and scaling. Key findings include Sicily's transformation of undervalued fish by-products into a high-value specialty through collaborative workshops; Denmark's use of blockchain-based traceability to reduce by-catch; Estonia's integration of algae processing into education to support new product development; and Greenland's Living Lab experiments that converted fish waste into nutritious dog food. These results show that combining bottom-up initiative with top-down policy support and digital collaboration tools can provide a replicable roadmap for resource-dependent coastal communities. Future work should evaluate long-term scalability and develop integrated monitoring frameworks to guide sustainable blue bioeconomy transitions. The study provides a replicable but adaptable roadmap for authorities and SMEs: use an adaptation-matrix tool to select frameworks; resource a backbone organisation to create shared measurement; align permitting and procurement to support by-product use; embed traceability standards; include algae-processing training modules in educational programmes; and pilot small-scale circular economy products. Longitudinal tracking of behavioural indicators will take place within BlueRev.