Europese Commissie wil oceaanonderzoek ondersteunen met €55 miljoen (en)

Met dank overgenomen van Directoraat-generaal Onderzoek en Innovatie (RTD) i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 6 juni 2012.

The European Commission today presented a proposed €55 million call for proposals on marine and maritime research to stakeholders and potential participants. "The Ocean of Tomorrow 2013" call aims to promote research and innovation on marine technologies, in particular sensors, antifouling materials, and innovative transport and deployment systems for the offshore wind energy sector.

The call, to be launched 9 July, will finance large multidisciplinary projects involving partners from different EU, associated and third countries. It will be the biggest and last such call under the EU's current framework research programme, FP7.

EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn i said: "Europe has world-leading marine industries with a cutting-edge capability in marine technology. We have the science, the technological expertise and the capacity needed to make the best use of our seas in a sustainable way. With this call, we go one step further towards this goal."

Oceans offer substantial opportunities for sustainable economic development. However, human activity is exerting increasing pressure on our seas. In particular, growing demand for maritime transport, offshore energy, coastal development and natural resources is threatening both marine ecosystems and the development of sustainable maritime activities. As set out in the "European Strategy for marine and maritime research", science and technology provide one of the keys for reconciling growth in sea-based activities with environmental conservation.

This approach to marine and maritime research, strategically combining thematic and cross-thematic projects, is also embedded in the Commission's proposal for Horizon 2020, the new seven-year European programme for research and innovation that will begin in 2014.

4 topics, €55 million

The call is split into four "topics" dedicated to:

  • - 
    Innovative biosensor designs in response to demand for real-time monitoring of marine water quality and the provision of early warning systems.
  • - 
    Cost-effective sensors to increase the amount of data for marine observation, modeling and monitoring systems.
  • - 
    Novel antifouling materials for maritime applications
  • - 
    Innovative and effective transport and deployment systems to serve the offshore wind energy sector.

The application deadline for the call is 7th February 2013 and projects selected should start by the end of 2013.

Find out more about

The Info Day on "The Ocean of Tomorrow 2013" call:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/fish/research/ocean/infoday_en.htm

Previous IP/10/1098 and MEMO/08/553 on EU Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research.

Contacts

Michael Jennings, Spokesperson, European Commission, DG Research & Innovation: +32 229 633 88