"How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is quite clearly Ocean!"

Arthur C. Clarke

The Marine Board recognises that the oceans are of major strategic importance to the ecologic, economic and social development of Europe. Established in 1995 by its Member Organisations with the support of the European Commission, the Marine Board works to promote and coordinate science strategy and policy matters amongst the main marine research institutions and funding agencies in Europe.

The Marine Board operates via four principal approaches: 

• Voice - Expressing a collective vision of the future for European marine science in relation to developments in Europe and world-wide, and improving the public understanding of science in these fields
• Forum - Bringing together 28 marine research organisations (four of which are new associated members) from 20 European countries to share information, to identify common problems and, as appropriate, find solutions, to develop common positions, and to co-operate
• Strategy - Identifying and prioritising emergent disciplinary and interdisciplinary marine scientific issues of strategic European importance, initiating analysis and studies (where relevant, in close association with the European Commission) in order to develop a European strategy for marine research
• Synergy - Fostering European added value to component national programmes, facilitating access and shared use of national marine research facilities, and promoting synergy with international programmes and organisations.