Dissemination, outreach and communication of scientific knowledge are becoming more and more important in today’s society, where social inclusion is an integral part of environmental protection and sustainable development. This is particularly true for the world of ocean research, a world that is largely hidden from our view, representing an added challenge to the communication of marine research. From its inception, the Ocean Literacy movement has advocated closer interaction between marine scientists, educators and other stakeholders (the public, policy-makers, private sector),and inspired new events and networks all over the world. CommOCEAN is a prime example of such new initiatives. The conference, as the International Marine Science Communication Conference, was launched by the European Marine Board Communications Panel (EMBCP) and organized in the first instance by its Portuguese partners (CIIMAR, Ciencia Viva) in Porto in 2014. It focuses on a target audience of young marine scientists and communicators who want to be trained in science communication skills. The 2nd event held in Bruges-Ostend was organized by (VLIZ, EMB, EMBCP and UNESCO/IOC/IODE) and incorporated a 1-day training program in the InnovOcean facilities in Ostend. The 4th conference is taking place in Sopot, Poland, hosted and organised by the Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN) and will see some of the programme split between marine scientists and professional communicators ensuring the programme is relevant, challenging and inspiring.
