Welcome to the
Adriatic Blue Academy
The Adriatic Blue Academy (ABA) is a regional ocean and blue economy-related learning platform based in the city of Trieste, strategically positioned at the heart of the Upper Adriatic and easily accessible from Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia.
ABA promotes ocean knowledge through high-quality online courses for the wider public, strengthening understanding of the ocean, its ecosystems, and the role of society in protecting marine environments.
Alongside this, ABA will deliver sector-specific professional training for the sustainable blue economy — including tourism, the cruise sector, logistics, ports, and maritime services — through online, blended, and face-to-face formats. From its Trieste hub, the Academy will host workshops, events, and hands-on trainings, while also providing tailored, company-specific programmes that respond directly to the needs of individual organisations and their workforce.
If you already have a LOGIN for the Adriatic Blue Academy, you can log into the ABA Learning Experience Platform below
Ocean Knowledge for All
The Adriatic Blue Academy (ABA) delivers Ocean Knowlege Courses in the Upper Adriatic Region on behalf of the International Ocean Institute (IOI) as an official action of the UN Ocean Decade (endorsed as Decade Action 65.6). As part of the IOI Ocean Academy, ABA will offer four regionally focused Ocean Literacy courses to the public each year, free of charge. Certificates will be jointly issued by IOI and ABA, ensuring international recognition and academic credibility.
Participants gain an up-to-date, region-specific perspective from leading Adriatic ocean experts, tailored to local realities and professional contexts. The courses strengthen informed participation, foster regional networking, and improve dialogue with stakeholders and policy makers. Topics for 2026 include
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Lagunas and Marshes
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Coastal Hospitality and Nautic Tourism
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Cruise Tourism
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Fishery and Aquaculture.
​​If your organisation is interested in supporting this free ocean literacy offer for the region, tailored sponsorship options for these courses are available. Please contact Federica Vassallo
Professional Training
The Adriatic Blue Academy (ABA) will - from Q3 2026 - offer practice-oriented professional courses for the sustainable blue economy, designed for sector-specific groups such as cruise staff, tourism professionals, logistics operators, ports, and maritime service providers.
The programmes translate sustainability principles into concrete skills and operational know-how, supporting professionals in integrating environmental responsibility into daily practice and decision-making.
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Courses can be delivered to professional groups across sectors or as tailor-made in-company trainings, developed in close cooperation with clients to reflect their specific activities, challenges, and locations. Formats include online, blended, and face-to-face learning, ranging from awareness-raising modules to hands-on trainings such as beach clean-ups, sustainable operations, safety, and stakeholder engagement — enabling organisations and their staff to actively contribute to a resilient and future-ready Adriatic blue economy.
