Integration of Baltic Sea science

Kaisa KononenPhD, Executive Director

Baltic Organisations Network for Funding Science EEIG

BONUS EEIG

• Baltic Organisations Network for Funding Science EEIG• European Economic Interest Grouping• Established 19.4.2007• The aim is to implement the Joint Baltic Sea Research

Programme under Article 169 of the EC Treaty• The goal is to fund research, which supports sustainable use

the goods and services provided by the Baltic Sea as well as environment decision making

BONUS EEIG

• The members of the EEIG are the key research funding organisations mainly from the RTD sector (research councils, research ministries) in the eight Baltic Sea EU countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden)

• Russian Foundation for Basic Research participates through separate agreements

• In 2008, the BONUS EEIG managed its first call for proposals of ca. 22 milj. Euros, 16 projects now running

BONUS EEIG members

• FiRD Coop./Academy of Finland• Forschungszentrum Juelich Beteiligungsgesellschaft

mbH (FZ-GmbH)/Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

• Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (Danish Natural Science Research Council)

• Estonian Science Foundation• Agency for International Science and Technology

Development Programmes /Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania

• Latvian Academy of Sciences /Latvian Ministry of Education and Science

• Foundation for the Development of Gdansk /Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Poland

• The Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research , Sweden

• The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning

• Swedish Environmental Protection Agency• (Russian Foundation for Basic Research)

Why is integration of the Baltic Sea research needed?

Answer: Baltic Sea environment and sustainability policy has to

be based on best available scientific knowledge

Progressive development of the EU water directives and other initiatives:1970s to 1990s: thematically narrow sector based regulations• EU Directives on fish, drinking and groundwater, bathing

waters, dangerous substances, shellfish, birds, habitats, sewage, nitrate, urban waste

• international management and regulatory Conventions, HELCOM

Late 1990s and 2000s: shift to integrated approaches• Integrated Coastal Zone Management 1992• Water Framework Directive 2000• Marine Environment Strategy Directive 2008

Has the Baltic Sea Science responded to the integrated policy challenges?

Answer:

NOT in the best, cost efficient and optimal way

BUT integration in Baltic Sea science is a time demanding, progressive and multidimensional process

Challenges of research integration:

1. Spatial and temporal scales of forcing factors– Climate change, North Sea influence, sub-basins, multi-scale

hydorodynamics, seasons, local anomalies

2. Scientific disciplines– Among natural sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, genetics..– Natural, social and economic sciences

3. Catchment-Coast-Sea continuum– Activities on land (agriculture, forestry, land use, river setc.) – Activities on coasts (cities, tourism, coastal engineering, wind mills

etc).– Sea based activities (fishing,transport, pipelines etc.)

4. Countries– Best and most effcient use of research resources, both infrastructure

and human capacities

Research integration across...

5. Sector-based research institutions– Baltic Sea research is scattered in ca. 200 research institutions under

several sector ministries (ENV, TRAN, AGR&FISH, HEALTH) as well as private institutions

6. Research funding policies, structures and instruments – competed and non-competed funding– EU and national funding

• BONUS EEIG has institutionalised pan-Baltic research funding cooperation, including the EU

BONUS+ Call

• The first Call of the BONUS-169 programme• Total funding ca. 22 M€,

– 15 M€ from national funding agencies, 7 M€ from EU• 16 research projects funded with over 100 participating institutes

• joint workhops between the key BONUS scientists and HELCOM MONAS, LAND, HABITAT, MARITIME, RESPONSE

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Future

• Special status for the Joint Baltic Sea Research Programme through Article 169 of the EC Treaty– Commission’s legal initiative for the Parliament and Council co-decision of

60-80 M€ programme under preparation• Two years’ intensive Strategic Development 2010-2011

– focus on all six aspects of integration (scales, disciplines, continuum, countries, sectors, structures&instruments)• Integration & broad Stakeholder involvement• Broadening of the funding basis• Development of integrated Strategic Research Agenda

• Four years of repeated annual Calls for research proposals 2011-2016– Broad Stakeholder involvement in the definition of research themes and

exploitation of results