News

The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) exists for twenty years. And this has to be celebrated! On Thursday 28 November, the kick-off of the 2020 party year was given in the Versluys Arena in Ostend. A new VLIZ video and an audio expo with stories from 20 privileged witnesses were launched. In order to be able to celebrate the birthday with its extensive network, VLIZ organizes various activities...

Marine Regions – an open database of global maritime boundaries and names of underwater locations – launched a new version of its Maritime Boundaries component. This version 11 contains updates of downloadable polygons from the global Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), supplemented with new treaties where necessary, as well as all 12- and 24-nautical mile zones, internal and archipelagic waters of...

Established in 2004, EurOBIS aims at centralising and making available the largely scattered marine species biogeographic data in Europe. Today – 15 years later – it hosts no less than 24 million distribution records of 62.299 species. Thanks to EurOBIS and the effort of many scientists working on a voluntary basis, these valuable data have a second life.

VLIZ launches a call for a ‘Brilliant Marine Research Ideas’ intended to inspire and enable PhD students affiliated to a Flemish University or Flemish University College to execute a brilliant idea during their PhD within the frame of their research. Deadline for the submission of proposals is 31 December 2019.

SeaBioComp is a new collaborative project launched earlier this summer. Aim is to develop and produce novel bio-based thermoplastic composite materials. In time, these could potentially replace the traditionally oil-based fiber-reinforced composites widely used in the maritime industry. The project also develops analytical protocols to evaluate the long-term durability of these new materials, and...

The Dr Edouard Delcroix Prize is a triennial international scientific prize (25 000 EUR) which will be awarded to a researcher or a research team for a scientific study on the links between oceans and human health. For the second time, a Dr Edouard Delcroix Incentive Award (2 500 EUR) will reward the work of an early career scientist. The submission deadline is 31 December 2019.

To recognize the work of meritorious marine researchers, encourage them to continue doing this in the future, and promote marine scientific research in Flanders: that is what the Flanders Marine Institute wants to achieve with its annual science awards. Until 31 December, candidates for the VLIZ North Sea Award, VLIZ Master Thesis Awards and VLIZ Professional Bachelor Thesis Award can register for...

The beach nourishments on the Flemish coast (Belgium) provide solid protection against flooding. Despite the regularly occurring ‘cliffs’, the sand suppletions reinforce the beaches, as well as the sea dikes and dunes lying behind them. This is one of the final findings of the CREST research project. The ten partners formulated nine key messages, and a compact list of striking results for each of...

From 4 to 6 September 2019, EMODnet, VLIZ and imec organized a second hackathon on open marine data. Multidisciplinary teams, consisting of a mix of programmers, communication experts, data enthusiasts and entrepreneurs were challenged to create knowledge and value with open marine data, and to develop innovative solutions that address the challenges of the blue society.

With a brand new 'Marine Robotics Centre' the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) expresses its ambition to become an international knowledge hub for marine robotics. The centre is embedded in VLIZ which, as a national and international point of contact in the field of marine research, is the perfect institute to manage and operate this specialized infrastructure.

Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) is looking for colleagues who are willing to strengthen our growing institute with their passion and knowledge, and who want to take on the blue challenges of the future. To improve our services, we recruit three employees for the Data Centre division and one employee for the IT division. To strengthen our research capacity, we recruit three new colleagues in the...

On 23 August 2019, the Instituto del Mar del Peru (IMARPE) and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. In this way the new partners express the desire to develop closer scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange. For example, on the exchanging of expertise and data, or mutual access to each other's research infrastructures such as research vessels and...

Under the name InnovOcean Campus, the Flanders Marine Institute VLIZ – together with its (inter)national project partners – and the Ostend location of the Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Research (ILVO) will move into a new common complex in Oostende. The contract for the building order was signed in Brussels on the 8th of July by the Flemish ministers Muyters (for Economy, Science...

The visionary report Navigating the Future V – written by marine and ocean experts from thirteen European countries – shows the priorities that ocean research (and its funding) should focus on in the coming decade.

The 2018 annual report presents the highlights for VLIZ in 2018 and focuses on the services VLIZ offers to the marine scientific community, policymakers, the industry, educators and the general public. Performance indicators (KPIs), numbers and lists all together give a transparent overview of the organization and functioning of the institute.

The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and the Australian Faunal Directory (AFD) signed an agreement to work together more closely and facilitate the exchange of data. By joining the forces the two registers promote the use of biodiversity information systems for scientific research.

VLIZ is one of nine partners who will work together in the Interreg North Sea project GEANS – Genetic tools for Ecosystem health Assessment in the North Sea region – to monitor seabeds in the North Sea more accurately and efficiently by DNA barcoding. Instead of the time-consuming manual identifications that are common now, DNA passports of those species known to be sensitive indicators of...

The VLIZ Marine Science Day 2019 of 13 March brought together some 400 marine scientists, students and companies in Bredene for a day full of inspiring presentations and demonstrations. The MEC Staff Versluys turned out to be just big enough. Could you not participate? Or do you want to review some things quietly? Just take a look at our VMSD19 retrospective page. You will find all the video of...