Oceans offer opportunities for sustainable economic development. However, human activities are exerting increasing environmental pressure on the oceans, threatening marine ecosystems and sustainable maritime activities. In particular, the growing demand for maritime transport, offshore energy, tourism, coastal development, resource extraction, fisheries and aquaculture may have a major impact on the marine environment.

The European Union has taken up this challenge and established a new integrated maritime policy, of which the Communication A European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research (COM (2008) 534) is a fundamental part. The strategy highlights the importance of integration between established marine and maritime research disciplines, in order to reinforce excellence in science and to reconcile the growth of sea-based activities with environmental sustainability. The Ocean of Tomorrow 2011 call is the second cross-thematic call for proposals to implement this commitment.

The aims of the call are to improve our understanding and the predictive capacity of marine ecosystems' response to a combination of natural and anthropogenic factors, while fostering innovations to make the most of sea resources.

The call will be implemented through four topics, out of which two of generic nature and two of particular relevance to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea:

• Multi-use offshore platforms (€14 milllion)

• Marine microbial diversity (€9 million)

• Assessing and predicting the combined effects of natural and human-made pressures in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in view of their better governance (€13 million)

• Knowledge-base and tools for regional networks of marine protected areas, integrated management of activities together with assessment of wind energy potential in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (€9 million)

Publication Date: 20 July 2010

Budget: € 45 000 000

Deadline: 18 January 2011 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)

Specific Programme(s): Cooperation

Themes: Energy; Environment (including Climate Change); Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology; Transport (including Aeronautics)

For more information see

Source: European Commission

(17/08/10)