News

The FWO launches a first call for joint exchange projects with researchers from the State of São Paulo (Brazil) on the 30^th of July 2019.

Navigating the Future V was launched today during EurOCEAN2019, the European Marine Board high-level marine science policy conference in Paris. NFV provides governments with robust, independent scientific advice on future seas and ocean research from now until 2030 and beyond. The future we want requires a healthy ocean and the sustainable use of marine resources. However, the ocean is under threat from multiple interacting stressors. Moreover, we are still developing the scientific knowledge base and technology to fully explore, understand, observe and predict the ocean and the effect of human activities. NFV recommends a solutions-oriented, transdisciplinary marine research agenda, co-designed with all stakeholders and with the governance of sustainability at its core.

In the framework of their collaboration agreement, Ghent University (UGent) and Campus Zeeland would like to invite you to the symposium 'Sea Level Rise in the Flemish-Dutch Delta', together with their partners Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ). The event will take place on Tuesday 25 June 2019 from 9:30 onwards at Greenbridge (UGent Campus Oostende).

The Ostend Research Tower, the result of the Blue Accelerator project, is operational. This new innovation and development platform 500 m outside the port of Ostend will serve as a 'living lab' to carry out tests in the context of the development of Blue Energy projects (offshore wind energy and wave and tidal energy) and the broader blue economy. For efficient research into innovative technological developments, it is of great value to scale up and test these in real-life sea conditions. The Ostend Research Tower hence meets the needs of scientific institutions and maritime companies.

In 2018, the estimated 2,900 Belgian recreational sea fishermen accounted for a total supply of 169 tonnes of sea fish and 102 tonnes of grey shrimp. This is evident from the first official report that focuses on the ecological and socio-economic impact of the Belgian recreational sea fishery. This means that the recreational sea fishing sector represents 3.7% of the total supply (commercial and recreational) from the Belgian part of the North Sea. The direct expenditures of the sector are estimated to be at least 8.6 million euros on an annual basis. You can consult the full report (Dutch) here.

An estimated 35,000 tonnes of dumped ammunition can be found on the Paardenmarkt, a sandbank just off the coast of Knokke. Although there is no danger to the marine environment or public health to date, the Government of Flanders wants to test in the project 'Removal of dumped war ammunition in the North Sea’ the innovative way in which this munitions dump could be disposed of safely and time- and cost-efficiently.

The Compendium for Coast and Sea was recently taken up as a national Good Practice example by the European Maritime Spatial Platform (MSP). The MSP provides all involved with marine spatial planning in EU-Member States a single interface of experience and expertise through exchanging and creating knowledge. The MSP is funded by the EC Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

With Open Sea Lab II, EMODnet is organising a second hackathon on open marine data. Interested participants can already register for a kick-off event on 24 May in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels. The Hackaton itself will take place from 4-6 September in the Zebrastraat in Ghent, Belgium.

The 19^th edition of the VLIZ Marine Science Day 2019 of 13 March brought together some 400 marine scientists, students and companies in Bredene for a day full of inspiring presentations and demonstrations. The VLIZ Marine Science Day (VMSD2019) continued its tradition as being the information and networking moment of the year for Belgian marine students, scientists and companies. If you like to look back at this event, take a look at our VMSD19 retrospective page. You will find all the videos of the oral presentations, the abstracts and photos, and all the information about the award winners.

On 8 May 2019, The Blue Cluster and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) will organise the fifth edition of 'Marine Science Meets Maritime Industry'. At this event, companies that are members of the Blue Cluster and scientists are invited to discuss examples of collaboration and to come up with innovative ideas about collaboration between science and industry. The theme of this edition is "Financing sustainable business models in the blue economy".

The FWO is strongly committed to international cooperation as a lever for scientific excellence. In this context, the FWO and the National Research Foundation (NRF) will support two-year cooperation projects with South Korea. These cooperation projects are aimed at young researchers (no more than six years of postdoctoral experience) and cover fundamental scientific research and development in all scientific research domains. The duration of these projects is two years.

Within the context of the national working group 'Marine litter' - coordinated by the Marine Environment Service - the VLIZ was asked to make a scientifically substantiated overview of the scientific studies available in 2019 on marine litter and microplastics in Belgian waters. The Belgian marine research landscape on this topic was also mapped out and the marine scientific community was allowed to reflect critically on the research needs. The 33-page study is the result of a close collaboration with various provincial, Flemish and federal knowledge and policy institutions.

On Friday 29 March 2019, the first thematic working groups, 'Living with Climate Change' and 'Working with Nature' of the Think Tank North Sea, will be launched at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. Interested in these themes and the follow-up trajectory of the Think Tank North Sea? Sign up for this kick off event before 26 March 16:00h.

JPI Oceans and JPI Climate launch a transnational call on "Oceans and climate". Funding bodies from Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Latvia and Norway have earmarked a total budget of 8.1 M EURO for this call.

The European Parliament, in cooperation with the European Commission, is organising a high-level conference - OCEANS - "The Future of the Blue Planet". The aim of the conference is to see how a sustainable blue economy can be shaped by 2030. The conference will take place in Brussels on 19 March and can be registered now.

"Together we know more and a sea of knowledge leads to a sea of opportunities for a sustainable blue future. With these words, Secretary of State for the North Sea, Philippe de Backer, concluded the North Sea Vision 2050 trajectory and paved the way for the 'Think Tank North Sea'.

Marine scientific research (MSR) and the tools to conduct it are essential for the sustainable development of our oceans and seas. Something which is consistently recognized by the UN General Assembly in its annual resolution on oceans and the law of the sea. MSR, not only helps in informed policy decision making, but it contributes to understanding, predicting and responding to the natural processes of our oceans. This new OTGA/DOALOS course on Marine Scientific Research under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (6-10 May 2019, Ostend Belgium) aims to provide an overview of the legal, technical and scientific aspects of the MSR regime, particularly with respect to consent procedures, so as to reinforce the participants’ knowledge of the rights and obligations of coastal and researching States. It will also touch upon matters relating to the development and transfer of marine technology under UNCLOS.

Following the upcoming call of the Interreg 2 Seas Programme, the 2 Seas Programme organises an information session for all potential applicants. This information session will take place on Friday 25 February 2019 in Ghent.

The European Commission will support 22 new sustainable blue projects under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. A total of €15.1 million will be distributed to 104 companies from 22 countries. Belgium is participating in two projects through the AlgaeDemo project and the AQUA-LIT project. With the Blue Bioeconomy call, the EC wants to promote the implementation of a sustainable blue economy throughout the EU and the Mediterranean Sea basin.