News

The annual report 2011 of the Flanders Marine Institute gives an overview of our activities in the calendar year 2011. A year where we especially will recall the construction of the Simon Stevin, many communication actions around the effects of climate change in the seas and oceans, the recognition of the VLIZ as ICSU data centre and the startup of the Compendium for coast and sea. At the last...

Ship time for the oceanographic research vessel Simon Stevin can be booked for the period August – December 2012. The Simon Stevin can be used in the Belgian and adjacent coastal waters as well as in the Scheldt estuary. Normally day trips are scheduled but multi-day campaigns are possible on request.

On Tuesday 8 May 2012, the Flemish Minister of Innovation Ingrid Lieten launched four Flemish projects of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructure (ESFRI). As such the Flemish government engaged to contribute to these European initiatives to set up joint research infrastructures. The Minister reserved, in the framework of the Flemish innovation policy, for this purpose 3.5 million...

Alike to the importance of the breakthrough of meteorology for the accuracy of the daily weather forecast, LifeWatch will allow a precise follow-up of life on earth and in the oceans. With revolutionary techniques and computational systems Flanders will contribute to Europe’s high technological future of continuous monitoring of the status and the evolution of biodiversity and the ecosystem...

The Flanders Marine Institute is looking for enthousiastic students (prefeably MSc-level) to work this summer at VLIZ in Ostend. Do you think the work at our multimedia centre, data centre, figure&policy department or communication & education department is fascinating? Do you want to cooperate in running projects for the duration of one month (1-31 July, 1-31 August or 1-30 September)?

With 338 registered participants this twelfth edition of the VLIZ Young Marine Scientists Day - held on Friday 24 February in KHBO, Bruges - was again a success. The floor was given to near a hundred young researchers to show their scientific results, covering the full range of marine disciplines. The public voted the best speaker and poster. The prizes of the VLIZ Thesis Awards and the North Sea...

The 'VLIZ Young Marine Scientists' Day' 2012 invites all marine scientists in Flanders and around. On Friday 24 February you can discover the quality, diversity and relevance of the multidsiciplinaire marine research in Bruges (KHBO). Please register asap, since the number of seats is limited.

The new Flemish research vessel Simon Stevin is lifted on board of the "heavy lift schip" MS Paula and put on transport from Romania towards Stellendam in the Netherlands.

PRESS ALERT: It doesn’t happen every day that a Flemish institution is globally recognized for its sustained efforts. The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) was awarded this honour and saw its efforts in managing marine data since 2000 rewarded with an international certification within the World Data System of the International Council for Science (ICSU). VLIZ is now an official member of a global...

The 'VLIZ Young Marine Scientists' Day' 2012 invites all marine scientists in Flanders and around. On Friday 24 February you can discover the quality, diversity and relevance of the multidsiciplinaire marine research in Bruges (KHBO). Submit your abstract by 9 December 2011 and present your research in a clear, concise and attractive way.

On Friday 21 October 16:00, the new Flemish research vessel "Simon Stevin" has been launched in Galati (Roemenia). The body of the vessel - in the near future replacing the current "R/V Zeeleeuw" - will be shipped to the yard of Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam (part of the Damen Shipyards Group) in The Netherlands, to be completed there.

...to support the core activities of the Marine Board secretariat in working with marine scientists to deliver scientific strategy and foresight, driving future seas and oceans research. The work will also include support to activities funded by the European Commission via Framework Programme 7 projects, and other contracts. Read more on the profile and conditions. Please send your application by...

Are you the next laureat of the ‘VLIZ North Sea Award’? Scientists or research groups can submit their subscription file until the 15th of November 2011.

Did you recently graduate at a Flemish university or technical college? Are you proud of your marine (or coastal) thesis? Then you have to apply for the VLIZ Thesis Awards for Marine Sciences 2011! Subscription before the 15th of November 2011.

The closing conference of the FP7-project CLAMER (European Research and Public Perception of Climate Change Impacts in the Marine Environment) - 15 September 2011, Brussels - will give a state-of-the-art of the EU research results on marine climate change, including the results of a pan-European public poll, conducted to investigate public views and understanding about climate change and the...

To celebrate World Oceans Day 2011, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) organises a full evening`s programme in Bruges, Belgium. Three experts inform the public at large on a sea in constant change (in Dutch).

The portal of PESI (Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) has been launched: www.eu-nomen.eu/portal and is available in 21 European languages. With time, it will be possible to find and search through the information of all species appearing in Europe. Not only the species living in seas and oceans, but also of all terrestrial and aquatic species. Currently, there are already nearly...

The North Sea has fundamentally changed. Big tuna fish and biologically rich seafloors including native oyster banks have largely disappeared during the last centuries and made room for all kind of human activities (fisheries, shipping, sand and gravel extraction, pollution, etc.) and for highly impacted underwater landscapes. However, the tide seems to be turning and at present about 5.4% of the...