The Flemish contribution to the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC): advancing fundamental and applied knowledge for a sustainable blue bioeconomy.

The European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC), the only European research infrastructure (RI) for marine biology and ecology, provides access to marine biodiversity and ecosystems from the Arctic to the tropics, and to services and facilities to help researchers from academia and industry to explore the ocean and develop innovative and sustainable blue bioeconomy solutions to pressing societal issues. With this proposal, the Flemish operators within the Belgian EMBRC node (EMBRCBE) aim to solidify and expand their contribution to this RI by optimizing access to unique Flemish biological resources (collections, databases) and state-of-the-art experimental (from bioreactors and aquaria to field installations) and analytical (molecular pipelines and high-throughput imaging) infrastructure and expertise in Flanders. Importantly, through the EMBRC-BE based Marine Training Unit, we will further consolidate and elaborate our pivotal role in EMBRC in the design and coordination of essential global e-facilities for knowledge transfer in fundamental and applied marine biology. The proposal will enable the Flemish operators to anchor Flanders’ global position in marine biodiversity-based fundamental and applied research through international scientific and industrial collaboration, and boost valorization, synergies and sustainability in key Flemish blue bioeconomy sectors, from aquaculture, biotechnology and bioprospection to renewable offshore energy and coastal protection.