News

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels are projected to decrease by 0.4% in 2026 – driven by expansion of solar and wind power and the Iran conflict – according to new research by the Global Carbon Project. VLIZ is part of the group presenting these findings at the COP Climate Conference in Turkey.

From tackling harmful algal blooms to inspiring young people to pursue careers in offshore energy: 19 projects across the North Sea and Baltic Sea region will receive more than 8 million euro in EU funding through BlueActionBANOS. Two of these projects will take place in Flanders. As a Belgian project partner, the Flanders Marine Institute will help provide scientific support to these local...

The philanthropic initiative of VLIZ, The Sea as a Good Cause, supports marine researchers who dare to think outside the box. Each year, we do this by awarding Brilliant Marine Research Idea grants worth €5,000 each. The Dr Edouard Delcroix Research Grant (€10,000) is also part of this initiative, thanks to the support of Hydro vzw.

The VLIZ Marine Data Centre has been awarded the internationally recognised CoreTrustSeal certification, confirming its status as a trusted repository for scientific research data. This marks an important milestone in VLIZ's longstanding commitment to preserving marine data, making it accessible and sharing it with the global research community.

This week, the European project EOSC Node | European Digital Twin Ocean officially kicked off in Pisa, Italy. The project aims to better connect marine research data, digital services and scientific expertise, making it easier for researchers across Europe to share, analyse and reuse data. The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) plays a key role in the project, leading a work package focused on...

During the United Nations General Assembly in New York (21-25 September 2026), Belgium reinforced its commitment to sustainable global ocean observing. The country joined the OceanEye International Alliance and announced several concrete pledges to further strengthen the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS). VLIZ also plays an important role in these efforts, leading or supporting several Belgian...

Underwater noise is an increasingly pressing issue for the health of our ocean. Human activities such as shipping, offshore construction and seismic surveys are making the marine environment noisier, affecting whales, dolphins, fish and other marine life. As concerns grow about the ecological impact, researchers, policymakers and industry are exploring ways to better understand and reduce this...

A curtain of air bubbles that intercepts plastic waste before it reaches the sea. That is the principle behind M.A.R.C., a new ‘Plastic Catcher’ currently being tested in the river IJzer in Nieuwpoort. On 23 October, you can see the system in action for yourself and meet the scientists and engineers behind it.

Today’s climate, ocean and biodiversity policy frameworks are not ready to regulate ocean-based carbon removal techniques. This is the main outcome of a new VLIZ policy informing brief which demonstrates that marine carbon, as a transversal element between climate policy, biodiversity conservation, and the blue economy, is structurally underrepresented across these policy domains. A key step...

Off Greenland’s east coast, cold polar water flows south towards the North Atlantic Ocean. But the East Greenland Current does not follow a neat, straight path. It meanders, branches and spins off rotating masses of water: ocean eddies. Although relatively small, from a few kilometers to a few tens of kilometers across, these eddies can transport heat, nutrients, carbon and even pollutants, giving...

Can tiny sand mason worms help protect our coastline from erosion? In an innovative field experiment, Flemish researchers investigate how these remarkable marine engineers can be encouraged to settle on vulnerable beaches using specially designed artificial substrates. While ILVO scientists study how the worms establish new colonies and stabilise the sediment, researchers from VLIZ are mapping the...

The Arctic Ocean is changing rapidly, with consequences that are expected to extend far beyond the polar region. Over the coming months, and within the context of E(ddies)GC project , researchers from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) will lead an international research effort to better understand one of the least explored drivers of polar climate: swirling ocean currents known as eddies...

With the publication of the Third World Ocean Assessment, the United Nations has released the most comprehensive evaluation ever undertaken of the state of the global ocean. The verdict is clear: the ocean provides food, oxygen and climate regulation, yet it is facing growing pressure worldwide. The report not only highlights the challenges but also identifies pathways towards a more sustainable...

Although the ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth's surface, only around 5% has been thoroughly explored. Through the new OceanEye initiative, the European Union aims to change that. By 2035, Europe wants to become a global leader in ocean observation and marine technologies.

Through a Memorandum of Understanding – signed during European Maritime Day 2026 in Limassol – the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) are joining forces to strengthen innovation, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration in marine research.

On 9 May 2026 VLIZ joined the European Commission’s Open Day celebrations in Brussels on 9 May 2026. Together with DG MARE and DG RTD, and in the framework of the recently launched OceanEye initiative, VLIZ brought ocean observation closer to an estimated 18,000 visitors during a highly successful Europe Day event.

From 9 to 13 March 2026, a delegation from the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) conducted an extensive institutional visit to Chile. Building on a long-standing collaboration with Chilean partners, the mission marked a significant step in reinforcing VLIZ’s international engagement in leading ocean research. With visits to six locations, meetings with fourteen institutions and the signing of three...

The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) plays a leading role in Europe in measuring CO 2 at the ocean surface, and is taking on the coordination of the European hub of the so-called Surface Ocean CO₂ Atlas (SOCAT). This EU hub was recently established to better coordinate the annual updates of the SOCAT synthesis products and to support SOCAT. The EU hub a.o. provides statistics for SOCAT, tracks...