News

The EU large scale research project AtlantOS aims to advance Atlantic ocean observation to become more integrated, more efficient and more sustainable. The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) participates in the work package responsible in increasing the harmonization of data flows and cooperates in the setup of an Atlantic fish tracking network.

Since the installation of the LifeWatch.be GPS tracking network for large birds in June 2013, more than 100 European Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Western Marsh Harriers have been tagged with a lightweight, solar powered GPS tag. In this way, scientists of the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) collect data to improve the knowledge on the individual variation in the...

In 2012 a cooperation agreement was concluded between VLIZ and the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) to promote collaboration in marine sciences as well as the exchange of data, expertise and information. Besides the donation of the former Flemish research vessel (now RV Mtafiti), this cooperation resulted in an international conference on the sustainable use of Kenyan marine...

By means of the grand data network project EMODnet ( video), Europe aims in the forthcoming years to unlock all available marine observations and data in order to make them accessible to diverse users. Concerning the biological data, heaps of data and attractive data products are made freely available through the recently renewed website www.emodnet-biology.eu.

Planet Ocean, VLIZ’s main educational project, is an online learning platform for youngsters featuring learning modules and class excercises relating to investigation of the coast, seas and oceans. Since 2014 classes can take part in PlanetOcean@Work, a series of hands-on workshops in marine laboratories combined with a competition. The first prize winner of the edition 2014-2015, high school...

WRIMS – a database of introduced and invasive alien marine species – has officially been released to the public. It includes more than 1,400 marine species worldwide, compiled through the collaboration with international initiatives and study of almost 2,500 publications.

The new website LifeWatch.be brings together all the contributions and data from the now strongly extended partnership.

This guide - an associated communication product of the Compendium for Coast and Sea - provides an overview of relevant European, federal and Flemish funding instruments which specifically refer to marine, maritime, estuarine or coastal subjects. Momentarily only available in Dutch.

Check out which marine data systems, web services, online tools, etc. are made available and brought together into one virtual research environment on http://marine.LifeWatch.eu. Try it out yourself and send us your feedback!

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Bruges on Friday 2015. An exciting programme - where the current Flemish marine research will be exposed - should convince you to participate. Since the number of seats is limited, we kindly ask you to register as soon as possible.

As a young marine scientist or engineer you undoubtedly perform fascinating research in the field of coastal and marine science. But does your knowledge reach the public at large? Flanders Marine Institute engages to coach one young scientist in a communication action.

Until Tuesday, 10 February 2015 (15:00 CET) scientists working within any field of marine science can apply for ship time on one of the 12 participating European research vessels and for the use of marine equipment, within this third EUROFLEETS2-CALL. The EU funded project provides scientists with 200 fully funded days of ship-time and 104 full days of marine equipment to carry out ship-based...

Also this year, the VLIZ North Sea Award will be presented. Candidates can submit their candidature until 30 November 2014. However, the conditions to compete have slightly been modified compared to previous years: candidates must now be affiliated to a Belgian university or research institute and have obtained their PhD-degree for up to maximally three years ago. The research is no longer...

Did you recently graduate at a Flemish university or technical college? Are you proud of your marine (or coastal) thesis? Then you have to apply for the VLIZ Thesis Awards for Marine Sciences 2014! Subscription before the 30th of November 2014.

The sea played a crucial part in World War I. A part on which too little attention has been paid. For this reason, and on the occasion of the centenary of the First World War, VLIZ has dedicated a special issue of the De Grote Rede magazine to this topic.

This edition of the annual report discusses only those accomplishments which were of particular significance in the past year. This strategy was chosen as the renewed VLIZ website contains all basic information concerning VLIZ as well as background information on numerous projects. It allows us to give in this annual report a concise overview of our activities in 2013.

Prof. Dr. Lora Fleming of the European Centre for Environment and Human Health (University of Exeter – UK) has been awarded for her outstanding research in the field of oceans and human health. On Friday, 27 June, she received the 2013 Delcroix Prize, to the value of 25,000 EUR, donated by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and HYDRO.

Since the establishment of the LifeWatch sensor network for large birds in June 2013, the GPS tags generated lots of data. Especially now that some of the birds returned from their winter migration areas and the logged data could be captured and processed. All is made available now on a new LifeWatch webpage. Here you can also read interesting stories on the ' whereabouts' of some of the tagged...