The United Kingdom Government Office for Science

This report considers the role that science and technology can play in understanding and providing solutions to the long-term issues affecting the sea. It outlines a number of recommendations to help the UK utilise its current expertise and technological strengths to foster trade links, build marine capacity across the world and collaborate to tackle climate change.

From Captain Cook, to Turner and the Royal Navy, the sea is embedded in our culture and history, but what will it mean for the UK to be successful maritime nation in the 21st century, and beyond? That is the key question that this report seeks to answer.
We anticipate many new opportunities for the UK to benefit economically from the sea, and to show leadership on the global stage. We are well placed to succeed. Including the British Overseas Territories, the UK has one of the largest marine spaces of any country in the world – a rich and diverse area that offers new opportunities for exploration, protection and economic activity. Many of the UK’s relevant technological and scientific capabilities are world leading. However business as usual is not an option if the UK wants to fully capitalise on these opportunities, and be a successful marine and maritime nation in the future.

This report brings together evidence about skills and lifelong learning, discussing the barriers and the implications for the UK. This evidence will help government to develop the policies needed to adapt to a changing workforce.

The invention and adoption of technologies continues to transform our world. This is most readily apparent in our latest modes of communication and consumption. Facebook alone connects over one and a half billion people each month. We tweet 500 million messages every day – in addition to the billions of texts. We order what we want online – increasingly via smart phones – and often receive those goods and services the same day, sometimes within the hour. Indeed, certain digital products and applications arrive almost instantaneously, and can be stored on remote servers for use on demand