IASON project developments: Assessment of existing and on-going research efforts in the Mediterranean and Black Sea

The knowledge about existing networking and research initiatives in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions is fundamental for achieving the IASON main goal of fostering sustainability and uptake of research results through networking activities. Since the objective is not just to provide a report about the situation at a given time, it was decided to setup a database of initiatives and stakeholders which can be maintained up-to-date throughout the duration of the project and possibly beyond. This would allow to carry out further analysis, identify gaps and needs, and design possible actions. The experience of the BalkanGeoNet Permanent Networking Facility was considered positive and it was decided to replicate and adapt it. An IASON Initiative and Stakeholders DB was then designed based on the BalkanGeoNet PNF database structure. It has been filled collecting information from relevant initiatives known to the project consortium. To this aim, an online questionnaire has been setup, and an invitation sent to the contact persons of the identified initiatives. In the next months, the Initiative and Stakeholders DB with data collected in this first phase will be provided with a Graphical User Interface to setup the IASON Permanent Networking Facility.

The responses to the questionnaire have been analyzed to provide a report about Existing Thematic Networks in the Black Sea region. The analysis shows that the information collected so far mainly covers EU-funded projects and therefore further activities is needed to include information about national/regional initiatives in the IASON PNF. It appears that the Black Sea region is less covered than the Mediterranean region by networking initiatives, in particular concerning actions specific to that geographical area. The role of existing bodies and actions in the Black Sea region, such as the Black Sea Commission and the Black Sea Synergy, should be investigated.

A detailed analysis on WP2, "Assessment of existing and on-going research efforts in the Mediterranean and Black Sea" is included in deliverables D21, D22, D23 & D24 that are all available through the IASON project website.

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