News

Launch of the MarinERA on-line Map/Portal to European Atlantic Marine Research Centre

Dr Niamh Connolly, Executive Scientific Secretary of the Marine Board and MarinERA Deputy Coordinator, welcomes the launch of the MarinERA on-line Map/Portal to European Atlantic Marine Research Centres.

The Portal site provides Google-map-based access to information on over 350 Marine Research Centres from 10 countries located along the European Atlantic Coastline stretching from Iceland/Norway in the north to Spain/Portugal in the south. It was developed by the MarinERA project.

The database/portal is designed to complement similar regional databases such as that prepared for the Baltic Sea (BONUS) and the Mediterranean and Black Seas (CIESM). The database /portal will provide a very useful tool to encourage and foster closer collaboration and co-operation in marine research and development in the North Atlantic. “It is a timely regional contribution in the current policy context”, says Dr Connolly, “specially regarding the European Marine and Maritime Research Strategy (September 2008) which we (the Marine Board – ESF) welcomed as an essential tool to promote integrated and dynamic European marine research and technology”.

The MarinERA Project (2004-2009) is an EU FP6 pilot ERA-NET bringing together the major European Marine Research Funding Organisations from 13 of the 26 European Coastal States.

You can visit the database / portal at: http://www.marinera.net/