Action #6: Partnership building

Objectives: The Action works at three combined and multiple levels of partnerships:

(i) Collaboration schemes between PSSs and IRSs, transfer of knowledge, supply of supporting hardware, and human resources, in order to tackle regional and common research questions (feed to WP1, WP3, WP9).

(ii) Alliance with other environmental RIs, to enable joint studies and get access/to provide supporting data, new technologies. Mapping of environmental RIs in the region (strategy, responsibilities, etc) and demonstration of cases of partnership/collaboration.

(iii) Promote the added value of integrated coastal observations to regional initiatives by providing a demonstration of PSS activities. Added-value of integrated observations and new products resulting from a PSS approach disseminated to regional initiatives, specifying opportunities, challenges, and future needs.

[combination of original topics vi, vii and viii in DoA]

Action Lead and other Partners (with contact persons): ΗCMR (Petihakis, Frangoulis), CNRSMIO (Thyssen), NIVA (King), SYKE (Seppälä)

JS3 Platforms included: All

Other data sources: See the Actions #1, #2, #3

Overall timetable of action:

Dec 2020- Dec 2021: Contacts for planning strategy of common interest activities (link T2.2). Identification of links, planning of training, and collaboration activities

Jan 2022 – Aug 2022: First-year dataset distributed, refinement of collaboration strategy, a demo of collaborations, promotion activities.

Description of action: Key PSS feature. Collaboration elements: building effective partnerships, linking with regional initiatives, other RIs, other PSSs, and IRSs

  • Establish a list of contact points with regional initiatives, other RIs (collaboration with WP2), and other PSSs.
  • Demonstrate a collaboration mechanism that could become common to all PSSs allowing to spot and tackle common questions, tackle a specific problem in one PSS using knowledge from other PSSs, as well as common dissemination and other products.

A common question of Cretan Sea PSS, with GoF PSS and NW-MED PSSs: “how phytoplankton communities are influenced by extreme coastal events”. To tackle this question knowledge, hardware and human resources will be mobilized (CNRS-MIO: phytoplankton, NIVA: carbonate chemistry, SYKE: optics) during field and mesocosm studies (see Actions #1, #2, #3).

3) Exchange of experience/knowledge for joint promotion plan to regional initiatives of Cretan Sea and NW-MED PSSs activities (action #6 ΝW-MED PSS)

4) Identify all RIs within the Cretan Sea PSS and explore common ground for collaboration.

Examples of collaboration demonstration cases that will be explored are given below:

– AQUACOSM-plus: access to mesocosm for calibration of sensors/provision of mesocosm monitoring via sensing (see action #3)

– ICOS-ERIC: access to supporting data (CO2 data in the region), training activities, guidelines best practices/provision of data of carbonate system carbonate in an area with sparseness (see action #1)

– EMBRC-ERIC: access to new technologies providing additional EΒV data/provision of samples and access to related physicochemical data.

– LifeWatch-ERIC: access to additional EBV data/ provision of related physicochemical data (e.g. pH).

– EURO-ARGO ERIC: access to supporting data/ provision of reference data (see actions #1, #2). 

Contacts with initiatives (e.g. MONGOOS, UNEP-MAP) are established (input from WP2).

Best practices used or developed: develop partnership practices with other PSSs, RIs, and regional initiatives with: shared vision, common understanding, and a joint approach to tackle KSC, well-defined specificities/differences, performance indicators, joint communication strategy, shared measurement/data systems.

Data flows: facilitate data flows between RIs.

Data QC routines: exchange of QC procedures between RIs.

Data management issues:  link of data provided from different RIs and collected at the same infrastructure.

Expected results: feasibility and comparability of methods, improved sensor calibration, additional EBVs.

Users of results: Scientists, Regional initiatives, Governments, media, environmental managers (e.g. MPA managers), environmental NGOs.

Dissemination of results: to meetings/workshops of regional RIs AQUACOSM-plus, ICOS ERIC, EMSO-ERIC, EMBRC-ERIC, LifeWatch-ERIC, EURO-ARGO ERIC. Joint promotion plan to regional initiatives (e.g. MONGOOS, UNEPMAP) of Cretan Sea and NW-MED PSS, as well as Northern Adriatic Sea IRS, activities (via WP2). Dissemination of results to regional initiatives with a focus on new variables, new products, and strategy alignment.

Links: Collaboration ground with several ERICs will be explored together with T2.2 (AQUACOSM-plus, ICOS ERIC, EMBRC-ERIC, LifeWatch-ERIC, EURO-ARGO-ERIC). Demonstration of PSS activities to Regional initiatives with establishment of contact points (MONGOOS, UNEP-MAP).