Policy and strategy JPI Oceans

During the preliminary phase of the JPI Oceans initiative a common Vision Document was developed outlining the long-term goals and objectives of JPI Oceans. In April 2011 the Interim Management Board adopted the Vision Document together with:

• An overview of Gaps to feed the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda
• An overview of the Policy Drivers for the JPI Oceans
• A document expressing how the JPI Oceans perceives its Links to other JPI’s

Based on these documents, and under the guidance of the Management Board, JPI Oceans will start with the development of a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and an Implementation Plan. This will provide the basis for the selection and implementation of joint trans-national actions.

Policy and strategy participating countries 

To obtain a broad overview of the corresponding research landscape of the participating countries one of the first assignments of JPI Oceans was to map the public marine and maritime research strategies and activities. For an overview of these marine and maritime research strategies and activities for every participating country please visit Members profiles.

European Research Area activities with a marine or maritime component (ERA-NETs, Article 185 initiative)

At their informal meeting in Gerona in early 2002 the European Research Ministers acknowledged the importance of the progressive opening of national research programmes as an important next step towards the construction and further development of the European Research Area (ERA). In 2003 the ERA-NET scheme was then proposed as a framework for further cooperation.

The objective of the ERA-NET schemes is to develop and strengthen the coordination of national and regional research programmes through two specific actions:

1. 'ERA-NET actions' - providing a framework for actors implementing public research programmes to coordinate their activities, e.g. by developing joint activities or by mutually supporting joint calls for trans-national proposals.
2. ERA-NET Plus actions' - providing in a limited number of cases with high European added value additional EU financial support to facilitate joint calls for proposals between national and/or regional programmes.

Under the ERA-NET scheme, national and regional authorities identify research programmes they wish to coordinate or mutually open up. The participants in these actions are, therefore, programme 'owners' (typically ministries or regional authorities defining research programmes) or programme 'managers' (such as research councils or other research funding agencies managing research programmes).

• SEAS-ERA - Towards Integrated Marine Research Strategy and Programmes
• MARTEC II - Maritime Technologies II
• BiodivERsA - Biodiversity Research ERA-NET
• COFASP ERA-NET - Strengthening cooperation in European research on sustainable exploitation of marine resources in the seafood chains ERA-NET
• Marine Biotech CSA - ERA-NET Preparatory action in Marine Biotechnology
• BS ERA-NET - Networking on science and technology in the Black Sea region
• Susfood - Sustainable Food ERA-NET

Article 185 initiative

Article 185 refers to the article in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which enables the European Union to participate financially in joint research programmes carried out by several Member States. In practical terms, in an Article 185 initiative, the EU will co-fund the joint implementation of (parts of) national programmes.

Within the marine and maritime sciences, the only Article 185 initiative is BONUS, the Joint Baltic Sea research and development programme.