BRIDGE-BS - Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation to Co-Develop Blue Growth within Resilient Ecosystems

Background and Objectives

The Black Sea’s unique ecosystem services are degrading and need to be better managed for the benefit of citizens dependent upon their sustainability. As a critical contribution to the science-based policy needed to preserve the Black Sea ecosystems, BRIDGE-BS proposes a multidisciplinary, multisectoral program building on regional and international initiatives. The project will develop predictive tools and capabilities necessary to understand and predict the impacts of climate-driven and anthropogenic multi-stressors on the services stemming from Black Sea ecosystems. These services and their responses to stressors will be mapped, monitored and modelled in order to identify a safe operating space within which a sustainable blue economy can flourish. To this end, BRIDGE-BS is structured around three interconnected nodes: Service Dynamics (NODE1), Blue Growth Incubators (NODE2) and Empowered Citizens (NODE3). NODE1 will, using time series and new data, simulations and machine learning tools assess, predict and determine ecosystem resilience to deliver adaptive management tools. NODE1 outputs will be used in NODE2 to identify services that can support sustainable Blue Growth in the Black Sea by strengthening of resource management, developing and applying innovative technologies as well as supporting innovative start-ups and business models to create added value and jobs. NODE3 will support policy uptake of BRIDGE-BS science and innovation results. It will train and strengthen collaborations between scientists and stakeholders, as well as policy makers, industry representatives and societal interest groups. It will educate, train and stimulate interactions between the public, future generations of marine scientists and entrepreneurs as well as motivate and engage policy-makers. Most importantly, through NODE3 BRIDGE-BS will create a connected Black Sea community, strengthened by a new generation of researchers and innovators to address emerging Black Sea challenges.

European Marine Board Role

EMB is contributing to Work Package 8 (WP8) ‘Science-based policy making for Blue Growth’ led by the International Center for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS) with the Centro Tecnológico del Mar (CETMAR) as co-lead. The overarching objective of WP8 is to ensure the uptake of BRIDGE-BS foreground produced in NODE 1 and NODE 2, by engaging the different groups of policy stakeholders from the outset of the project with a view to strengthening the science-policy nexus and contributing to science-based policy making for blue growth in the Black Sea.

EMB is leading sub-task 8.2.2. to prepare a Policy Brief for BRIDGE-BS on the topic of ‘Reinforcing the implementation of marine EU and international policies in the Black Sea Region’. It will build on the outputs of the project results, such as the status of the Black Sea ecosystems (WP1), stressors affecting the ecosystem and the services (WP2), needs to maintain the resilience of the ecosystem and the thresholds (WP3), risk-based analysis on Black Sea core ecosystem services (WP4), the value of the ecosystem services (WP6), the business models for healthy and resilient Black Sea ecosystem (WP7) etc.). The partnership will be engaged in a foresight exercise in relation to the expected research and its foreseeable results, policy level impacts, and, especially the links and alignment with critical EU and international policy initiatives. The Policy Brief will be subject to an international peer review process, following the usual protocols of the EMB. A translation of this policy brief will be done so that all engaged policy makers from local to international level are aware of the findings and proposals of BRIDGE-BS.

Contact at European Marine Board Secretariat: Britt Alexander

BRIDGE-BS is funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action (RIA) funding scheme, grant agreement No 101000240