19 - EUROCEAN

The EurOcean Foundation is presently composed of 12 Members, which are key European marine research and funding organisations as well as groups focussed on marine outreach. Members are FCT (PT), GeoEcoMar (RM), IEO (ES), Ifremer (FR), IMR (NO), IOPAS (PL), MI (IE), VLIZ (BE), FRCT-Azores (PT), NAUSICAÄ (FR), IOI-International Ocean Institute (MT) and CNR (IT). Cooperating members are the IOC-UNESCO (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission), CPRM (Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions) and FdM (Fondation de Malte). As such EurOcean has strong connections with national and international bodies related to marine research, its application and dissemination of best practices and information in the marine field. 

Focus activities are: 1) development and maintenance of InfoBases of marine relevant information and knowledge; 2) analysis and synthesis of information to help understanding of investments in marine research 3) communications & dissemination of information on marine research activities and projects.  

EurOcean has participated in more than a dozen FP7 and H2020 projects and of particular relevance to this proposal is its work in communications and dissemination which it has carried out for a number of these projects, including FP7 EUROFLEETS 2, which focusses on consolidating a cooperation strategy for optimising the sharing and use of research vessels, including polar going ones in Europe.  Through this project and others, EurOcean has developed and maintained websites, compiled eNewsletters, developed video materials,  designed and edited  brochures and information packs, conceived  project promotional materials (pens, folders, gadgets, etc), arranged workshops, conference and stakeholder engagement activities. Moreover EurOcean maintains the Research Data Infrastructures (http://rid.eurocean.org) and related InfoBases which catalogue over 900 pieces of research infrastructure in six major categories.  In addition EurOcean hosts and maintains Knowledge Gate (http://kg.eurocean.org) which catalogues all marine relevant projects in a range of European funding programmes (e.g. ERDF, FP7, H2020).

Role in the project

EurOcean is the co-lead on WP 6 on Communications and Dissemination and also contributes to mapping existing infrastructure and WP1 on future sustainability of an Arctic observation system.