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Ocean and seas cover 71% of the Earth's surface and are inhabited by diverse forms of life. Among these inhabitants, plankton emerges as a crucial component of the marine ecosystem. They dominate marine life in terms of abundance and biomass, and are essential contributors to the food web and the biological carbon pump. Additionally, plankton can serve as early indicators of changes in the marine...

On 16 January 2024, the ‘Rustpunt’ in Ghent served as a historic, green site to host the three-day kick-off meeting of the new project 'DuneFront'. This innovative project is funded through the European Commission's Horizon Europe Programme and coordinated by Ghent University.

The charity arm of VLIZ - The Sea as a Good Cause – sets two travel grants available (each worth EUR 3000) for promising young marine scientists from the Global South, for participation in the Ecopath40 conference and workshop in June 2024.

Be part of the programme of VLIZ Marine Science Day 2024 on 6 March 2024 at De Grote Post in Oostende. The #VMSD24 – formally framed within the Belgian EU Presidency – will revolve entirely around the EU Mission Ocean & Waters, and its three main themes: ocean pollution, climate/carbon, and biodiversity. Make your own research part of the #VMSD24 programme and submit an abstract by 12 January 2024...

The Sea as a Good Cause supports young, original-thinking marine researchers by once again awarding 6 research grants - each worth EUR 5,000. PhD students and junior postdocs in Flanders, as well as PhD students from the South, who dare to think out-of-the box, are eligible for this research funding. Deadline for submitting proposals: 26 January 2024.

Have you recently defended your BSc, MSc or PhD thesis on a marine research theme? Then you have until 31 December to apply for one of the VLIZ Marine Science Awards 2023. From now on, with a slight twist in the conditions to participate.

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), hosted and managed by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), is proud to announce its partnership with Ocean Census . This collaboration will harness WoRMS’ expertise and global leadership in marine taxonomy and taxonomic data management to take a leading role in Ocean Census’s commitment to accelerate the discovery of ocean life and catalyse its...

Funded through the EC Horizon Europe Programme and coordinated by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), the project aims at incorporating previously unavailable or difficult-to-access marine-biodiversity data into the biodiversity component of the EU Digital Twin Ocean, ensuring sustainable data flows for marine biodiversity research. Marine habitats present specific and one-of-a-kind issues when...