Dear colleagues, friends, distinguished guests,
I am delighted to welcome you to the first stakeholder consultation on the European Ocean Research and Innovation Strategy. It is an honour to open discussions that will shape the future of ocean science across Europe.
The European Ocean Pact, our flagship initiative, brings all EU ocean-related policies under a single framework. It also identifies Ocean Research and Innovation as a cornerstone to achieve its objectives.
Some people might be asking why this is important. The answer is very simple. At a time when we are seeing increasing pressures on the ocean from climate change and human activities, we need to enhance our understanding of the state of the ocean. Moreover, we need to develop solutions to help us protect, restore and regenerate marine environments. This is necessary if we want to ensure that both present and future generations can continue using marine resources productively and sustainably.
Looking at the audience in this room, I am reminded just how strong our capacity is in the field of ocean science, research and innovation, both at the EU and at national levels. EU research centres and businesses lead in multiple areas of ocean research and technologies.
Yet, our investments are insufficient, fragmented, and inadequately targeted to meet our sustainability, security and competitiveness needs. To match the high level of ambition set by the European Ocean Pact, we must mobilise substantial investments – drawing on both public and private funding – to drive this vision of clean, healthy and productive ocean and sustainable ocean related activities.
We must channel ocean research and innovation towards fostering a prosperous and competitive blue economy, where sustainability becomes a core driver of competitiveness. In doing so, we can unlock new business opportunities in all existing and emerging sectors of blue economy.
Research and innovation should drive the development of win-win solutions supporting the sustainable growth of island and coastal communities, particularly through blue-carbon sequestration. In the area of fisheries and the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy, we must respond to the increasing demands for scientific assessment and support, and closer engagement with stakeholders, ensuring that our policy remains grounded in sound science. We also need innovations and technological advances to promote more selective and less destructive fishing gears, to address challenges such as marine pollution and invasive species, and to advance the protection, monitoring and management of marine protected areas.
The European Ocean Research and Innovation Strategy is intrinsically linked to the development of a robust EU marine knowledge framework, bridging research and decision-making to create meaningful synergies. Next year, we will present the Ocean Observation Initiative. The Research and Innovation Strategy will reinforce this initiative by modernising ocean monitoring systems, enhancing data integration and advancing digital ocean capabilities. Moreover, it will support the scaling up of new ocean technologies and strengthen Europes global leadership.
To facilitate this, we aim to establish a European network of ocean technology testing sites, accelerating innovation cycles and the development and deployment of cutting-edge solutions. Fortunately, we are not starting from zero. The European Ocean Research and Innovation Strategy will build on the achievements of Mission Ocean and Waters, expanding its priorities and adapting them to the new geopolitical context. In addition, it will also benefit from European partnerships and coordination initiatives, such as JPI Ocean.
I wish you insightful and productive discussions, which will be integral to shaping our strategy. In the coming days, we will also launch the public “Call for Evidence.” I warmly invite all of you to contribute and to share the call with your networks!
Thank you for your attention!
