Better knowledge for a better future of the Baltic Sea

4 March 2013, Helsinki, Finland – Policymakers, scientists and innovators from the nine countries around the Baltic Sea will be among the close to 100 stakeholders taking part in today’s deliberations on future research on the Baltic Sea, in support of environmental policy and sustainable development of the region. The Conference will showcase the synergies of the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission – HELCOM, and the region-wide marine environment-focused science funding organisation – BONUS.  The Baltic Sea, its environment and the well-being of its people, is in the focus of the work of both of these regional organisations.

“HELCOM sees itself as a bridge between science and policy making in the sustainable development of the Baltic Sea area. Research, solutions based knowledge and understanding their societal impact are all critical in achieving a good environmental status, and ensuring sustainable use of the goods and services of the Baltic Sea,” says Monika Stankiewicz, Executive Secretary of HELCOM.

“We need to ensure that the research and innovation solutions are responding timely to the demands of political decision making cycles, so that both sound knowledge and fit-for-purpose solutions can truly support ecosystem based, long-term management plans”, says Kaisa Kononen, Executive Director of the BONUS Secretariat.  

Ecosystem approach to the management of human activities manifested by the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and advocating knowledge-based management provides a strong connecting point to HELCOM and BONUS. HELCOM promotes measures to reach a healthy Baltic Sea ecosystem and good environmental status, and has an interest to safeguard a sustainable use of the Baltic Sea marine environment and resources. The vision of BONUS is an economically and ecologically prosperous Baltic Sea region where resources and goods are used sustainably and where the long-term management of the region is based on sound knowledge derived from multidisciplinary research. Knowledge-based management is the key interest to both.

One of the key aims of the day are considerations for the future, and the speakers will address topics such as environmental policy action; the EU’s new framework programme for research and innovation - Horizon 2020; ecosystem-based management; and the societal impact of innovation, among others. Overall, the goals of the Conference would include linking innovation to research, and these to maritime policies on national level as well as to key sustainability policies on Baltic and European levels.

Live footage of the whole Conference will be available online at the BONUS website, as well as edited clips later on, and interested stakeholders are encouraged to contribute in Twitter at #HBConf13. In addition, a policy framework analysis relevant to the Baltic Sea and the BONUS programme will be launched today.  

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More information at

Press office / Events at www.helcom.fi

http://www.bonusportal.org/forum2013

Note for editors: 

The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission, usually referred to as HELCOM, is an intergovernmental organisation of all the nine Baltic Sea countries and the EU working to protect the marine environment of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution. HELCOM is the governing body of the "Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area," known as the Helsinki Convention.

HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, central to HELCOM’s work, is an all-embracing programme for reaching Good Environmental Status of the Baltic Sea by 2021. The plan provides an integrated and holistic approach to address all major environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea in four priority areas: eutrophication, hazardous substances, biodiversity and maritime activities.

www.helcom.fi

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BONUS is a joint Baltic Sea research and development programme producing knowledge to support development and implementation of regulations, policies and management practices specifically tailored for the Baltic Sea region. It issues calls for competitive proposals and funds projects of high excellence and relevance based on its BONUS strategic research agenda 2011-2017.  Half of the funding of the EUR 100 million to BONUS is covered by the national research funding agencies in the eight EU member states around the Baltic Sea and the other half by the EU Commission’s Research Framework Programme (FP7). 

BONUS calls: The next call for multidisciplinary projects will be announced in late 2013. www.bonusportal.org/calls

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For further information, please contact:

Johanna Laurila (Ms)

Information Secretary

HELCOM

Tel: +358 40 523 8988

E-mail: johanna.laurila@helcom.fi

Maija Sirola (Ms.)

Communications Manager

BONUS

Tel. +358 40 352 0076

E-mail: maija.sirola@bonuseeig.fi