Activities

Providing advice on various strategic and scientific policy issues at the pan-European level and contributing to the development of FP7 (2007-2013). Together with the marine scientific community, national and European stakeholders, the Marine Board was involved in a pan-European mobilisation which led to the introduction of marine science and technology as a cross-cutting issue in FP7.

Publishing the extensive Marine Board Position Paper No. 8 Navigating the Future III (2006). This report documents the most important thematic research priorities for Europe, taking into account the priorities not only of FP7 and the pending European Maritime Policy, but also the objectives of national research programmes, the European Marine Environment Strategy and the Galway Declaration 2004. This publication has been stated as a reference source for identification and prioritisation of marine research drivers by European Commission representatives.

Preparing several important thematic Position Papers on topics including Marine Biodiversity (2000), Marine Biotechnology (2001), and Hydrodynamic Modelling in Coastal and Shelf Seas (2005). These have supported the identification of national programme priorities. Moreover the Marine Board, together with the US NSF, organised a valuable meeting on Sound in the Sea and its Effects on Cetaceans in 2005.

Integrating and making use of large infrastructure research facilities used by European marine scientists and technologists through the establishment and coordination of various working groups (the Marine Board Ocean Fleets Working Group, the MarinERA Marine Infrastructure Managers Forum and the European Research Vessel Operators Working Group, which has continued beyond its EMB mandate).

Establishing MarinERA (an EC ERA-NET project, ERAC-CT-2004-515871, 2004-2008, coordinated with Ifremer - Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer), which aims to facilitate the coordination of national and regional marine RTD programmes in Europe. The Marine Board is the strategic and operational manager of this project.

Facilitating interaction amongst marine ERA-NETs as task leader in the AMPERA ERA-NET project (ERAC-CT-2005-016165), whose objective is to provide a platform on accidental marine pollution research.