Joint maritime platform buoys sea research
Marine research is invaluable for better understanding our world and enhancing knowledge in many areas such as climate change, biodiversity, aquaculture, trade and sustainability. The EU-funded project 'Towards an alliance of European research fleets' (EUROFLEETS) is building a joint platform comprising marine research centres, universities and industry players to upgrade marine research worldwide. Such an infrastructure would contain observation networks, data centres, laboratories, computing facilities and, most importantly, research vessels to monitor oceanographic parameters and collect data. Much of the project's effort so far has revolved around coordinating synergies between marine research fleet owners and operators, focusing on transnational access, networking and joint research. EUROFLEETS has organised and funded calls for research vessels to embark on joint research projects, fitting the vessels with high-tech software and arming them with underwater vehicles to enhance research capabilities. Already, several research trips have been conducted with seismic and other types of equipment aboard vessels hailing from Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Italy and Romania. More research trips are being scheduled for 2013 and a detailed report of the results and achievements is expected thereafter. In parallel, the project's stakeholders are exploring many other topics of common interest such as the establishment of new partnerships, emergence of regional clusters, environmental aspects and onboard software development. Against this backdrop, the project is contributing to European competitiveness significantly, keeping in mind that EU maritime regions account for more than 40 % of the bloc's gross domestic product (GDP) and population. EUROFLEETS is minimising duplication of research in the sector, standardising interfaces among stakeholders, and sharing resources such as equipment and staff. Overall, the project is tackling economic challenges related to the marine and maritime sectors by providing sustainable access to cost-effective research vessels and equipment. The contribution to Europe's welfare, which is linked with the sea, should be an important one. Through the envisioned pan-European platform and joint infrastructure, EUROFLEETS will undoubtedly enhance our scientific knowledge of the world's seas and oceans with a positive effect on development and sustainability.
