JPI Oceans is a transgovernmental platform that increases the efficiency and impact of research and innovation for sustainably healthy and productive seas and oceans. VLIZ is commissioned by the Flemish government to support the JPI Oceans Secretariat. This support included providing a full-time employee to the JPI Oceans secretariat in Brussels.
2025 was a defining year for the initiative’s governance and long-term vision. The General Assembly elected Professor Peter Haugan as the new Chair of the Management Board, marking a transition aligned with the adoption of the new JPI Oceans Strategy Framework 2026–2030.
Scientific work across JPI Oceans’ portfolio advanced on several fronts in 2025. Two research projects, ISOLUME and ALANIS, were launched under the Joint Action on Changing Marine Lightscapes. In parallel, the PAGES project was selected and funded to develop innovative monitoring strategies that integrate physical, chemical and biological data within a dynamic framework that acknowledges the complex interplay of oceanic processes. The first Underwater Noise Joint Action concluded with a final scientific meeting in Alicante, where five projects delivered findings on the impacts of impulsive and continuous noise on marine ecosystems.
Two joint calls advanced frontier research areas. The Blue Carbon Joint Call opened in November to support research on carbon stocks, ecosystem resilience, and restoration effectiveness. In December, a €2 million Offshore Freshened Groundwater Joint Call was launched to enable a pioneering scientific drilling campaign.
New scoping efforts gained traction in 2025, including the development of a concept for a Joint Action on Ocean Oxygen Loss, and the start of an expert-led assessment of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in cooperation with JPI Climate. These initiatives respond directly to scientific urgency and policy demand for coordinated assessments of climate-driven ocean system changes.
JPI Oceans strengthened its science–policy interface through high-profile events at the One Ocean Science Congress, the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), and a wide range of thematic sessions spanning sea level rise, munitions, underwater noise and blue carbon.
The year culminated in the launch of the Strategy Framework 2026–2030 at the European Parliament, in collaboration with the SEArica Intergroup and with interventions from Commissioner Costas Kadis and UNESCO IOC Executive Secretary Vidar Helgesen. Their contributions underscored JPI Oceans’ role in implementing the Ocean Pact and delivering the knowledge required for informed policy and governance.