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The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
The Research Council of Norway
Joint Programming Initiative
Grand Challenge: Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans
As a follow-up from the GPC Work Shop on September 14, 2009, Norway has developed a
short note concerning giving “Healthy and Productive Seas and Oceans” status as a
candidate for a Joint Programming Initiative. If GPC gives its “go” 15.10.09 , Norway is
ready to go forward with completing the JPI template, in close cooperation with interested
countries, with a view to submission of a proposal for a JPI theme in 2010.
Europe needs an integrated and solid knowledge base on the seas and oceans to achieve
both sustainable environmental management and exploitation of marine resources.
In Norway’s view, the JPI is the key instrument for joint utilisation of Member States’
and Associated countries’ public and private research resources in order to establish the
integrated knowledge base and provide for its application.
Europe’s economic activities and prosperity are tightly linked to its seas and coasts,
benefiting from maritime transport, fisheries, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and tourism.
These activities are expected to grow significantly in the near future, due to an increasing
world population and the development of new technologies.
New opportunities are created by research and development, examples being fish farming of
more and more species, renewable ocean energy, exploitation of biological resources for
medical and industrial purposes and CO2-storage. The untapped potential of the ocean
resources is even larger, with still largely unknown mineral and biological resources to
explore and exploit. The deep seas, in particular, represent a new frontier for us, almost as
technologically challenging as space exploration and with potentially considerable economic
stakes.
The most alarming challenges we are facing comprise the rising demand for food produced
in the marine environment and the effects of climate change on the marine ecosystems and on
the oceans’ role as climate regulator. The long term effects of climate change like the
acidification of the seas and destructive effects on marine organisms add up to the effects of
pollution and destructive fishing activities. Both human activities and climate change are
affecting in a dramatic manner the marine environment, putting at risk of uncontrolled
changes, the very source of this tangible and intangible wealth.
New challenges are created by the increasing competition between maritime activities for a
limited coastal and marine space. It is crucial to optimise ocean space allocation, explore the
marine ecosystem, move towards exposed waters and towards the deep sea regions, as
activities currently are mostly taking place on the coast or in coastal areas.
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How are we to meet these ever increasing threats to our marine environment and ecosystems,
and at the same time ensuring that Europe will continue to prosper economically? The answer
lies in the implementation of policies that guarantee a sustainable management of the seas
an oceans. These policies must be based on a sound science base that will provide both the
foundations for the development of sustainable marine and maritime activities and open up for
innovative economic growth.
The complexity of these issues demands combined efforts of European countries which share
common borders and overarching global challenges. On the one hand, we need to further
improve our understanding of the combined impact of human activities and climate change on
the marine environment. On the other hand, we need to develop a cluster of knowledge and
technologies to exploit the opportunities. This combination provides the rationale for this
Joint Programming Initiative which will build the necessary knowledge base for Europe’s
ability to also benefit in the future from healthy and productive seas. This is in line with the
recommendations of EUs marine strategy, e.g the Integrated Maritime Policy for the
European Union; EU Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research and will also meet the
marine part of the SET-plan. The ERA-NET “SEAS- ERA” should be taken into consideration.
Objectives
 Provide the science base and research infrastructure needed to define, reach, monitor
and maintain a good environmental status of the European sea basins. This will also
contribute to achieving the objectives of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive;
 Develop knowledge, technologies and multifunctional platforms needed to exploit the
marine resources, including those in the deep ocean, and to move some coastal
activities offshore.
Content
An inter-disciplinary research effort to integrate knowledge regarding the impact of land and
sea based human activities, as well as that of climate change, on the marine environment, is
necessary. This will help defining, and move towards, a good environmental status of the
European sea basins. It will also help understand climate change and better predict its
impacts.
Critical research infrastructures are also needed for monitoring and understanding essential
environmental processes taking place in the marine environment. In particular, networks of
floating devices and seabed observatories foreseen by the European Science Forum Research
Infrastructure (ESFRI) are of critical importance for marine science and technology
development. Geographical gaps in some regional seas need to be filled. The structuring and
long term management of these infrastructures at EU level should also be addressed.
A research and demonstration programme involving multifunctional offshore platforms would
provide the basis to develop clusters of technologies to exploit all sea resources in coastal
areas, in exposed waters and in the deep ocean, and the usage of ocean area and space for
green energy production, aquaculture and transhipment of goods and energy. Such advanced
systems will have potential spin-offs parallel to space exploration.
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Benefits
 Better implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, based on best
available scientific knowledge and assessment of the risks and benefits of different
options.
 Improve the knowledge base and technologies for a better planning of the marine
space, also enabling activities currently being undertaken in coastal areas to move
offshore.
 Improve our knowledge of the impact of climate change on the ecosystems in coastal
areas, the oceans, on navigation, and to minimise the mitigation costs of dealing with
these impacts.
 Explore new opportunities to maximise the growth of the maritime economy in an
environmentally sustainable manner.
 Lay the ground for the sustainable use of offshore and deep sea resources and
possibilities within a whole range of sectors (green energy, transport, fisheries,
aquaculture, etc.).
Oslo, October 2009
Norwegian delegates to GPC;
Kari Balke Øiseth
The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research
Simen Ensby
The Research Council of Norway
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