Overview
Nearly all significant developments in the marine/maritime area originate from Europe, a true maritime continent. Consequently, the Marine/Maritime Science and Research Communities are among the world leaders in their respective fields, disciplines and sectors. To maintain its leadership and competitiveness, Europe must take advantage of new market opportunities and address the global challenges by means of focused RDI. Unfortunately the complexity and intricacy of the marine/maritime area has lead to widespread fragmentation of research efforts and actors. It is therefore important to identify and establish appropriate mechanisms to strengthen the cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary cooperation, key ferment for innovation, between both research communities.
To this effect, the ETP WATERBORNE and the informal Post Aberdeen Marine Interest Group came together as they would benefit from an appropriate and efficient cooperation framework to achieve the Lisbon agenda in a sustainable way. To tackle global issues such as Climate Change and Competitiveness, the different interests and elements affecting such matters need to be integrated in a consistent way. Building on the EU's Maritime Policy and ERA, the key challenge for the EU Policies is to enable sustainable economic expansion, taking into account the environmental, economical and social aspects in a holistic way.
This objective of the project was to initiate the process for this holistic approach by identifying and generating a framework of cooperation for the two communities. It focused on maritime transport but also formed the basis for a wider reflection in the future.
EMAR2RES aimed at supporting and contributing to the Research and Maritime Policies, including the European Maritime Policy and the European Research Area, at identifying possible synergies between those policies while addressing areas of common interest to both the communities with an underlying emphasis on global challenges such as climate change, strengthening competitiveness, greening surface transport (mainly waterborne transport) and improving safety. EMAR2RES intended to provide a forum for interaction between Europe's Marine and Maritime research communities, so that they could collectively work towards enhanced capabilities.
This is essential to ensure international acknowledged excellence, and of sufficient scale and mass to facilitate, promote and sustain international intellectual interchange and discourse, fundamental to the Lisbon Agenda and the ERA.
The specific objectives of EMAR2RES can be summarised as to:
- support interaction between marine science and maritime transport research communities to assist in the creation of the marine component of the ERA;
- facilitate the networking of the two communities, within the European Union;
- identify areas of common interest and possible synergies, with an underlying emphasis on grand challenges;
- contribute to the evolution of a European Marine Research Strategy, identifying future challenges and opportunities;
- provide a basis for the sharing of available resources to address priority issues;
- progress the inter-awareness between Member States and EU marine science and maritime transport RTD Programmes.
This framework would be built by identifying the areas of common interest, of possible synergies and the most promising cooperation/integration structure. A Policy Interface Panel composed of representatives of the two Research Communities was instrumental in reaching the largest possible consensus to ensure the best support and public awareness.
Funding
Results
EMAR2RES has provided an effective forum for interaction between Europe's Marine Community and the Maritime Research Community. This enabled these communities to collectively work towards enhanced capability in marine and maritime research. This is essential as it ensures that Europe's capability remains of internationally acknowledged excellence, is of sufficient scale and is of critical mass to facilitate, promote and sustain intellectual interchange and discourse. These interactions have resulted in:
- supported interaction between the Marine Community and Maritime Research Community;
- facilitated the networking of Marine Community and Maritime Research Community in the EU;
- contributed to the evolution of a European Marine Research Strategy;
- provided a basis for the sharing of available resources to address priority issues;
- progressed the inter-awareness between Member States and between EU Marine and Maritime RTD Programmes.
Technical Implications
Common maritime transport related research need to be undertaken in the following areas:
- Impact of maritime transport on the marine environment: e.g. treatment of ballast water, accidental and operational emissions to the sea and air, development of hull coatings/antifouling.
- Water as a common medium: e.g. resistance and propulsion, underwater noise and vibration, impact on seabed morphology in restricted waters.
- Monitoring climate change and the benefits of operational oceanography to maritime transport: e.g. collection of meteorological and oceanographic data through sensors, telemetry, etc. Provision of end user information services through integration of measurement, modelling and prediction, the use of meteorological and oceanographic data.
- Marine core information services to support among others: traffic management, weather routing, (Arctic) navigation, weather and sea states (tides, currents, waves), forecasts, oil spill monitoring, ballast water dispersion and global ship routing etc.
- Impacts on vessel design: e.g. extreme weather, low carbon objectives.
Other results
The project has achieved the following:
- Linking the medium and long term visions of Europe's Marine Community and the Maritime Research Community. Furthermore identifying their Developmental Strategies and identifying key stakeholders in the relevant industry sectors, marine science fields and disciplines.
- Organising appropriate workshops, thus gathering relevant experts from both Communities to brainstorm on areas of common interest, research needs and possible synergies. Among others but not limited to: climate change, impacts on the marine environment and European competitiveness.
- The formulation of possible ways of cooperation between the two Communities, proposing the most effective and long lasting way(s) in terms of added value, synergies and or cross fertilisation.
- A Policy Interface Panel has been installed to reflect on the conclusions, draw recommendations and encourage the widest support from both communities.
- Conclusions and recommendations have been disseminated through all the appropriate media channels, including website, press releases, reports and events.
Policy objectives
Innovating for the future (technology and behaviour): A European Transport Research and Innovation Policy