Open Marine Archive

Van De Meutter, F.

Bezdenjesnji, O.

Buerms, D.

De Beukelaer, J.

De Regge, N.

Soors, J.

Speybroeck, J.

Terrie, T.

Vanoverbeke, J.

Van Braeckel, A.

Vandevoorde, B.

Van den Bergh, E.

Van Ryckegem, G.

Dutch

Onderzoek naar trofische relaties in de Zeeschelde

Islam, R.

Stechele, B.

Mascart, T.

Lemey, E.

Huygens, M.

Geldhof, R.

Nevejan, N.

116 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Environmental DNA, an emerging tool to predict the potentiality of nature 
inspired designs and oyster reef restoration: A Coastbusters case study 
for oyster reefs construction in the Belgian part of the North Sea  
Islam Royhanur1, Stechele Brecht1, Mascart Thibaud2, Lemey Emile3, Huygens Marc2, Geldhof 
Ruben3 and Nevejan Nancy1 
1  Universiteit Gent, Laboratorium voor Aquacultuur en Artemia Reference Center (UGent-ARC), 
UGent BW13, Coupure Links 653, Blok F, 9000 Gent, Belgium 
 E-mail: md.royhanur.islam@imbrsea.eu 
2  Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering NV (DEME), Haven 1025 - Scheldedijk 30, 2070 
Zwijndrecht, Belgium 
3  Jan De Nul, Tragel 60, 9308 Aalst, Belgium 
 
Ecological engineering uses natural processes and materials to resolve environmental 
challenges by restoring ecosystems and creating opportunities for nature. Ecosystem functions 
fulfilled by such nature inspired designs are next to coastal defence and shoreline stabilization, 
also provision of breeding and nursery habitats. Challenges at hand for the creation or 
restoration of native oyster reefs are understanding the natural oyster spat availability and 
hence, its colonisation capacity and the presence of Bonamia ostrea oyster disease in Belgian 
waters. Within the Coastbusters project, which is used as a case study, the use of artificial oyster 
reefs as an innovative bio-stabilization method is being investigated for application in the 
Belgian part of North Sea (BPNS). 
 
Previous studies revealed that Ostrea edulis (Linnaeus 1758), commonly known as European flat 
oyster, is the only indigenous oyster in BPNS. However, only modelling data (from Royal Belgian 
Institute for Natural Sciences) is present on the spatio-temporal spat availability of oyster spat 
in Belgium. Therefore, the present study will analyse historical water samples from 2000-2010 
for environmental oyster mtDNA (eDNA) which will allow us to produce a BPNS eDNA presence 
map that relates to spat density and the presence of native oyster individuals. To validate the 
viability of artificial oyster reefs, also the presence of the Bonamia ostrea oyster disease (SSU 
rDNA) in eDNA of the historical water samples will be researched. Preparatory lab experiments 
on detection sensitivity, primer selectivity and lifetime of eDNA in seawater will support the 
protocol for oyster mtDNA and Bonamia SSU rDNA detection in seawater samples. 
 
Therefore, this innovative eDNA approach will be the cornerstone of oyster reef restoration 
feasibility and will directly contribute to the Coastbusters development projects. 
 
Keywords: eDNA; Bivalve reefs; Coastbusters; Ostrea edulis; Bonamia ostraea; Ecosystem 
services; Coastal resilience 
  


Environmental DNA, an emerging tool to predict the potentiality of nature inspired designs and oyster reef restoration: a Coastbusters case study for oyster reefs construction in the Belgian part of the North Sea

Derycke, S.

De Backer, A.

Hillewaert, H.

Wittoeck, J.

Breine, N.

Vanhollebeke, J.

Maes, S.

Hostens, K.

38 
Oral presentation Post-doc level 
DNA-based monitoring in the North Sea region: The future for 
environmental benthic monitoring?  
Derycke Sofie, De Backer Annelies, Hillewaert Hans, Wittoeck Jan, Breine Naomi, Vanhollebeke 
Joran, Maes Sara and Hostens Kris 
Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (ILVO), Aquatic Environment and 
Quality, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium  
E-mail: sofie.derycke@ilvo.vlaanderen.be  
 
Human activities such as marine aggregate extraction, construction of wind turbines and dredge 
deposition induce habitat changes that alter both abiotic and biotic components of the seafloor 
ecosystem. Macrobenthos is used as an essential indicator for environmental quality, but up till 
now based on morphological species identification. DNA-based approaches such as 
metabarcoding may speed up or at least complement the characterisation of the different 
macrobenthos communities. However, diversity assessment by means of metabarcoding 
strongly depends on the chosen primers, the bioinformatic pipeline and the availability of 
reliable reference sequence data. Furthermore, standard routine application and comparison 
across areas is hampered due to differences in sampling strategies, laboratory protocols and 
data analyses used in different countries. To accommodate this, the EU funded Interreg NSR 
project GEANS (Genetic tools for Ecosystem health Assessment in the North Sea region), aims to 
harmonize and consolidate existing genetic tools and methods across the North Sea to improve 
and enhance genetic monitoring. 
 
The objective of this study is to compare DNA-based versus traditional morphological species 
identification for macrobenthic communities. To that end, the set-up of a reliable genetic 
reference library for the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) is needed. In the last 15 years, 
ILVO researchers have listed 334 macrobenthic species from nine phyla for the BPNS. 
Polychaeta, Malacostraca and Bivalvia are typically the most species rich classes and harbour 
40%, 37% and 13% of all species, respectively. Ethanol preserved specimens have been 
morphologically identified, diagnostic characters photographed and stored as reference 
material for DNA-based identification. To date, the ILVO genetic reference database contains 101 
vouchered macrobenthos species and 119 epibenthos and demersal fish species. Completing the 
reference database on a North Sea scale, i.e. collecting and sequencing the remaining species is 
one of the main goals within the GEANS project. 
 
To further evaluate whether DNA-based approaches describe the macrobenthic diversity in a 
comparable way as the morphology-based approach, and to highlight the added value of both 
approaches, we applied both methodologies on field samples from the four prevailing habitat 
types in the BPNS, each characterized by a different level of diversity and macrobenthic species 
community. Three replicate Van Veen grabs were collected in each of the four habitats. One 
replicate per habitat was processed according to standard monitoring protocols, resulting in the 
morphological identification of 45 families. All replicates were further used for genetic analyses, 
using DNA from both the bulk samples and from the ethanol fixative of the sample. We 
compared the performance of four primer sets (respectively amplifying 420, 580, 510 and 350bp 
of the COI barcode region) in terms of macrobenthic taxon detection. Despite substantial 
differences in the total number of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) generated by each 
primerset (2139, 22151, 14813, 15211, respectively), the number of detected families was 
comparable to the morphology-based analysis (64, 51, 56 or 43, respectively). However, nearly 
50% of the families were not similar between both methods (27, 26, 27 or 22, respectively). This 
can be explained by: 1) the fact that not all replicates were morphologically identified (4 
samples), leading to a underestimation compared to the DNA-based analyses (12 samples); 2) 
39 
some families detected through genetic analyses are normally not accounted for as 
‘macrobenthos’ in morphological assessments, and should be omitted when comparing both 
methods; and 3) the genetic (COI) reference database is far from complete: combining our own 
generated barcode sequences with those available in the public Barcode Of Life Database 
(BOLD) showed that so far only 33 out of the 45 morphologically identified families have been 
sequenced and voucher referenced. Our results further showed substantial differences in 
taxonomic diversity depending on the primer set used, and on the source of DNA (bulk versus 
ethanol). The results contribute to a thorough evaluation of the pros and cons of DNA-based 
identification of macrobenthic communities in relation to human impacts. 
 
Keywords: Impact assessment; Metabarcoding; COI; macrobenthos 
  


DNA-based monitoring in the North Sea region: the future for environmental benthic monitoring?

Devolder, B.

Mol, A.

Rauwoens, P.

104 
Poster presentation Competition poster 
Hydrodynamic modelling of wave-structure interaction processes using 
OpenFOAM  
Devolder Brecht1, Mol Arjan2 and Rauwoens Pieter1 
1  KU Leuven, Departement Burgerlijke Bouwkunde (KULeuven-BWK), Kasteelpark Arenberg 40 
(bus 2448), 3001 Heverlee, Belgium 
 E-mail: brecht.devolder@kuleuven.be 
2  Dredging, Environmental & Marine Engineering NV (DEME), Haven 1025 - Scheldedijk 30, 2070 
Zwijndrecht, Belgium 
 
Numerical tools such as boundary element methods based on linear potential flow theory are 
frequently used for simulating floating structures: wave energy converters or dredging and 
offshore installation vessels for example. At this moment, non-linear viscous models such as the 
open source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) toolbox OpenFOAM are very popular amongst 
academic researchers. During the last years, the marine industry is showing an increasing 
interest in using CFD models for designing structures or optimising installation processes. 
 
The PhD work of Brecht Devolder [1] is an academic example of recent developments in 
OpenFOAM for the marine, offshore and coastal engineering sectors. Fundamental research and 
thorough modelling resulted in (i) more accurate results by developing and implementing 
enhanced turbulence models for two-phase free surface flows [2,3] and (ii) accelerated 
simulations by developing a novel coupling algorithm between the motion of a floating 
structure and the flow field around it [4]. This coupled model is applied, for the first time ever, 
to simulate an array of nine individual heaving point absorber wave energy converters 
subjected to regular waves [5]. 
 
Currently, a research project is running between KU Leuven (campus Bruges) and the DEME 
group, and focusses on CFD simulations of realistic floating structures using OpenFOAM. Further 
developments are related to the use of overset meshes, multiple degrees of freedom motions, 
mooring lines and combined wave-current simulations. All the developments presented need 
thorough verification and validation and are required to open up the possibility to perform CFD 
simulations of any coastal and offshore structure with reasonable calculation times or to 
optimise their design and efficiency. 
 
References  
[1]  Devolder B. Hydrodynamic Modelling of Wave Energy Converter Arrays. PhD thesis, Ghent 
University and KU Leuven, 2018. 
[2]  Devolder B, Rauwoens P, Troch P. Application of a buoyancy-modified k-ω SST turbulence 
model to simulate wave run-up around a monopile subjected to regular waves using 
OpenFOAM®. Coast Eng 2017;125:81–94. doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2017.04.004. 
[3]  Devolder B, Troch P, Rauwoens P. Performance of a buoyancy-modified k-ω and k-ω SST 
turbulence model for simulating wave breaking under regular waves using OpenFOAM®. 
Coast Eng 2018;138:49–65. doi:10.1016/j.coastaleng.2018.04.011. 
[4]  Devolder B, Troch P, Rauwoens P. Accelerated numerical simulations of a heaving floating 
body by coupling a motion solver with a two-phase fluid solver. Comput Math with Appl 2018. 
doi:10.1016/j.camwa.2018.08.064. 
[5]    Devolder B, Stratigaki V, Troch P, Rauwoens P. CFD Simulations of Floating Point Absorber 
Wave Energy Converter Arrays Subjected to Regular Waves. Energies 2018;11:641. 
doi:10.3390/en11030641. 
 
 
105 
Acknowledgement 
Brecht Devolder is postdoctoral researcher at the department of civil engineering at KU Leuven, 
campus Bruges. His two years research project is a collaboration between KU Leuven and DEME 
and is funded by the agency Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) and DEME. 
 
Keywords: Numerical modelling; CFD; OpenFOAM; Floating structures 
  


Hydrodynamic modelling of wave-structure interaction processes using OpenFOAM

Ivanov, E.

Capet, A.

Barth, A.

Delhez, E.

Soetaert, S.

Grégoire, M.

18 
Oral presentation Pre-doc level 
Impact assessment of offshore dredging activities and wind farms on 
sediment dynamics using a coupled ocean-wave-sediment transport 
model  
Ivanov Evgeny1, Capet Arthur1, Barth Alexander2, Delhez Eric3, Soetaert Karline4 and Grégoire 
Marilaure 1 
1  University of Liège: Modelling for Aquatic SysTems (ULg-MAST), Quartier Agora Allée du 6 
Août, 19 - Bât. B5a, 4000 Liège 1 Sart-Tilman, Belgium  
E-mail: evgeny.ivanov@uliege.be  
2  Université de Liège,  GeoHydrodynamics and Environmental Research group (ULG-GHER), 
Allée du 6 Août 17, Sart Tilman, B5, 4000 Liège, Belgium 
3  Université de Liège, Modélisation et Méthodes Mathématiques, B37 - Institut de 
Mathématiques Quartier POLYTECH, 1 Allée de la Découverte 12, 4000 Liège, Belgium  
4  Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee: Estuarine and Delta Systems (NIOZ-
EDS), Korringaweg 7, Postbus 140, 4400 AC Yerseke, The Netherlands 
 
Intensification of offshore human activities, i.e. aggregate extraction and wind farms operation, 
in the Belgian Coastal Zone (BCZ) leaves an imprint on biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles 
via changes in sediment dynamics. This impact requires a quantitative assessment in order to 
develop indicators for management policies. The FaCE-IT project (Functional biodiversity in a 
Changing sedimentary Environment: Implications for biogeochemistry and food webs in a 
managerial setting) funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office (BelSPo) was created to assess 
the local impact of an individual wind farm and upscale it over the BCZ using numerical 
modelling. 
The coupled Ocean-Wave-Sediment transport (COAWST) modelling system (Warner, 2010) was 
implemented for the BCZ on the fine resolution grid (i.e. 1 km2), which is connected with the 
coarse resolution grid (5 km2) set for the English Channel and the Southern Bight of the North 
Sea in two-way nesting. The sediment model was initialized with several classes for both 
cohesive and non-cohesive sediments provided by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The full 
validation using VLIZ in-situ data and satellite products from Copernicus Marine Environment 
Monitoring Service was conducted with a specific target to solve various processes important for 
sediment dynamics, such as freshwater plume dynamics and patterns of residual currents, as 
well as a system response to different meteorological events. 
 
Scenarios have been designed to represent aggregate extraction and the turbid wake issued 
from wind farm flow perturbation and epifaunal activity in terms of sediment source, sinks and 
redistribution. Preliminary results showing the influence of those local perturbations on 
seafloor integrity and suspended particulate matter are presented at the regional scale of the 
BCZ. 
 
Reference 
- Warner, John C., et al. "Development of a coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment 
transport (COAWST) modeling system." Ocean modelling 35.3 (2010): 230-244. 
 
Keywords: Ocean modelling; Belgian coastal zone; Offshore wind farms; Sediment transport  


Impact assessment of offshore dredging activities and wind farms on sediment dynamics using a coupled ocean-wave-sediment transport model

Hooyberg, A.

Everaert, G.

Grellier, J.

Elliott, L.R.

Lonneville, B.

White, M.P.

Michels, N.

De Henauw, S.

Roose, H.

Vandegehuchte, M.

16 
Oral presentation Pre-doc level 
Ocean health in Belgium: Living near the coast is associated with better 
health  
Hooyberg Alexander1, Everaert Gert1, Grellier James2, Elliott Lewis2, Lonneville Britt1, White 
Mathew2, Michels Nathalie3, De Henauw Stefaan3, Roose Henk4 and Vandegehuchte Michiel1 
1  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
 E-mail: Alexander.Hooyberg@vliz.be 
2  The European Centre for Environment & Human Health (ECEHH), University of Exeter Medical 
School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro, Cornwall, TR1 3HD, United Kingdom 
3  Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Public Health, 
Corneel Heymanslaan 10, UZ-4K3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
4  Ghent University, Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, Korte 
Meer 3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 
Positive effects of natural environments such as green space and blue space on human health 
and wellbeing received considerably more attention in the last decade. Benefits from the coast 
and marine ecosystems mainly arise through 4 mechanisms, i.e. stress reduction, elevated 
physical activity, healthier social interactions and better environmental quality. However, 
evidence linking residential proximity to the coast with human health and wellbeing is scarce. 
Therefore, we investigated whether Belgian citizens living closer to the coast report better 
health. 
Data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey (n = 60,939 representative for the Belgian 
population, taken in 1997, 2001, 2004, 2008 and 2013) were used to investigate whether proximity 
to the coast is associated with the health of Belgian citizens. Human health and wellbeing were 
quantified by three metrics, i.e. overall subjective health, psychological stress (GHQ-12 score), 
and vitality (SF-36 score). In a linear regression model analysis, we tested whether people 
residing in proximity of the sea feel better in general, i.e. obtained a better evaluation for one of 
these metrics. Proximity to the coast was calculated as fastest driving distances between the 
domicile address and the Belgian coast. These driving distances were divided in eight 
categories, i.e. >250 km, 200-250 km, 150-200 km, 100-150 km, 50-100 km, 20-50 km, 5-20 km and 
0-5 km from the coast. The outcomes of our analyses are normalized based on potential 
confounding factors, such as for example, the age of the respondent, having a chronic disease, 
having a paid job, income, smoking status, physical activity, the appreciation of social 
interactions, the amount of blue space and green space in the area and the air quality in the 
area (PM10 and NO2 concentrations). 
 
Proximity to the coast is associated with higher scores for subjective health, vitality and 
psychological stress. Most strikingly, people living at 0-5 km from the coast report 3.7 % better 
subjective health than people living elsewhere (p = 0.011). Besides this local effect, large scale 
trends were observed in the psychological stress and vitality. For example, a pronounced 
gradual increase in vitality occurred towards the coast (p ≤ 0.002). This increase in vitality was 
most substantial for people living at 20-50 km from the coast, which were 12.3 % more vital than 
people living in the hinterland. Our results indicate that these changes in health and wellbeing 
associated with distance to the coast are in the same order of magnitude as the relations of for 
example smoking behavior or income with health. 
 
Next to the important role of the sea, also the appreciation of social interactions and having a 
chronic disease correspond with large changes in health and wellbeing, as hypothesized prior to 
this study. Health was always less strongly related with the environment (amount of blue space 
and green space, air quality) than with personal variables (e.g. physical activity). 
 
17 
Our study provides the first evidence of a positive association between proximity to the coast 
and the physical and mental human health and wellbeing in Belgium. Potential mechanisms 
were explored, and remain a matter for further research. 
 
Acknowledgments 
We would like to thank the providers of the data, i.e. Scientific Institute of Public health, OD 
Public health and surveillance (2015). Health Interview Survey 2013 [Data file and code book]. 
Obtainable under condition from the WIV-ISP Web site: https://his.wiv-
isp.be/SitePages/Acces_microdata.aspx 
 
Keywords: Blue space; Coast; Health; Well-being 
  


Ocean health in Belgium: Living near the coast is associated with better health

Roest, B.

Verwaest, T.

23 
Oral presentation Pre-doc level 
The Belgian coast: where does the sand go?  
Roest Bart1, Verwaest Toon2 and Rauwoens Pieter1 
1  KU Leuven, Departement Burgerlijke Bouwkunde (KULeuven-BWK), Kasteelpark Arenberg 40, 
Bus 2448, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium 
E-mail: bart.roest@kuleuven.be  
2  Vlaamse overheid, Waterbouwkundig Laboratorium (MOW-WL), Berchemlei 115, 2140 
Antwerpen (Borgerhout), Belgium 
 
The Belgian coastal area is historically prone to flooding due to storms. This 65km long sandy 
coast is characterised by dunes and concrete sea dikes. In order to protect the coastal 
settlements and the hinterland from flooding, sea dikes were built in the past. From the 1970’s 
onward, sand nourishments are the preferred way to protect the coast. 
 
The coastal area from the dunes to 1.5km offshore is surveyed to monitor the coastal 
topography and bathymetry. These data are analysed, also taking into account dredging and 
nourishment works. 
 
Over the whole Belgian coast, on average, there is a net increase in volume over time. However, 
there are large spatial differences. Areas with large accretion exist both west and directly east of 
Zeebrugge harbour and on the Broersbank near Koksijde. In contrast, structural erosion is found 
near Knokke and between De Haan and Wenduine. In these erosive areas, frequent re-
nourishment is required to maintain the coast. Furthermore, it is found that the dunes and dry 
beach are mostly accretive. The intertidal beach is also mostly accretive; however, a large 
erosional area exists east of Zeebrugge. The shoreface and seabed are mostly erosive with only 
a few accretive areas. 
 
When correcting for nourishments the accretive trend reduces drastically, yet remains positive. 
Since very few shoreface nourishments are present, the trends of the shoreface and seabed 
hardly change. 
 
The analysis concludes that there is a small net component of cross-shore sediment transport 
from the shoreface towards the dunes. Yet, several erosion hotspots need continuous attention. 
Additionally, nourished volumes from beach nourishments remain in the zone above low water. 
Further research is needed to determine the accuracy of the surveys and the exact rates of 
erosion or accretion. 
 
Keywords: Belgian coast; Beach volumes; Nourishments  


The Belgian coast: where does the sand go?

Amadei Martínez, L.

Theetaert, H.

Gkritzalis, T.

Cattrijsse, A.

Deneudt, K.

Hernandez, F.

65 
Demo Booth 
Water quality in the Belgian part of the North Sea: exploring ocean’s 
health through online applications  
Amadei Martínez Luz, Theetaert Hannelore, Gkritzalis Thanos, Cattrijsse André, Deneudt Klaas 
and Hernandez Francisco 
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
E-mail: luz.amadei.martinez@vliz.be 
 
Large environmental changes, either natural or anthropogenic, generally occur over long 
periods of time. Physico-chemical properties of water are known to follow periodic seasonal 
changes, but ongoing climate changes affecting temperature, primary production and species 
distributions may drive ecosystem shifts over the long term. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor 
the environmental conditions in coastal waters consistently over a long period of time. For this 
purpose, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) initiated a scheme of high frequency sampling 
campaigns in the Belgian Part of the North Sea in 2002. 
 
During the multi-disciplinary sampling campaigns, water column data is collected on physical, 
biochemical and biodiversity related aspects of the environment, including measurements of 
nutrients, pigments, suspended matter and turbidity. These water quality descriptors can 
provide supporting information for status assessments of eutrophication, pollution and changes 
in coastal waters; but also provide an important historic dataset with descriptors otherwise not 
accessible to the broad public. 
 
Fixed versions of the datasets are published yearly (Flanders Marine Institute, 2019) whereas the 
most recent collections can be accessed online via the LifeWatch Data Explorer. Via this online 
application, it is possible to browse quality-controlled data, select on specific water quality 
descriptors, specify temporal and spatial windows and create exports of that data. Data and 
metadata are fully documented, and published under a CC-BY license, allowing use of the data 
under the condition of providing reference to the original source. 
 
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Belgium (2019): LifeWatch observatory data: nutrient, pigment, 
suspended matter and secchi measurements in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. 
https://doi.org/10.14284/328 
 
Keywords: Water quality; BCP; Online application; Open access 
  


Water quality in the Belgian part of the North Sea: exploring ocean’s health through online applications

Leys, E.

47 
 Meet the Company 
GEOxyz bvba  
Leys Erwin 
GEOxyz, Harelbeekstraat 104D, 8550 Zwevegem, Belgium 
E-mail: sales@geoxyz.be   
 
GEOxyz is a Belgian based Offshore Survey Company, specialising in Geophysical, Geotechnical 
and ROV survey services.  The GEO Group has entities in Belgium, France, The Netherlands, 
Luxembourg and UK.  The Group has ISO accreditations and is a member of Achilles, UVDB and 
IMCA. 
 
GEOxyz's mission is to create value for our client's international projects based on our enhanced 
data acquisition in the "on and offshore" environments, combining state of the art equipment, 
people and in-house solution capability. 
 
GEOxyz's vision is to provide innovative solutions and tools to support the increasing demand in 
high level data acquisition and processing for our "on and offshore" client base. 
 
Keywords: Surveys 
  


GEOxyz bvba

De Moor, W.

57 
Demo Booth 
JPI Oceans - The Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas 
and Oceans 
De Moor Willem  
JPI Oceans, Troonstraat 4, 1000 Brussel, Belgium  
E-mail: willem.demoor@jpi-oceans.eu  
 
JPI Oceans is an intergovernmental platform that strives to increase the impact of national 
investments in marine and maritime research and innovation. By joining forces, JPI Oceans 
focuses on long-term collaboration between EU Member States and Associated Countries and 
international partners. The platform provides its member countries with a shared voice, 
strategic agenda and action plan to address complex ocean-related societal challenges that 
cannot be solved at national level. 
 
JPI Oceans adds to the value of national research and innovation investments by aligning 
national priorities and implementing joint actions. 
 
This is achieved by: 
- planning and launching joint calls for transnational research and innovation projects 
- sharing research infrastructures and resources 
- enhancing science-policy cooperation with stakeholder involvement to translate science into 
policy 
- initiating new forms of collaboration between projects and scientists 
- strategic community building, disseminating and communicating research results to support 
their exploitation and facilitating mutual learning 
 
In partnership with the European Commission, the BlueBio and MarTERA ERA NETS and JPI 
Climate, JPI Oceans initiated and set up in the last six months four new calls for research 
proposals with a total budget in excess of 60 million Euro:  
- JPI Climate & JPI Oceans Joint Transnational Call on Next Generation Climate Science in 
Europe for Oceans. Deadline: 2019.06.14 
- Blue Bioeconomy Cofund – Open call for pre-proposals. Deadline: 2019.03.18 
- 2nd MarTERA Call on maritime and marine technologies. Deadline: 2019.03.29 
- Joint call for proposals on microplastics in the marine environment. Deadline: 2019.02.28 
  


JPI Oceans - The Joint Programming Initiative Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans

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