The SUNDANSE project team, including Universitatea „Dunărea de Jos” din Galați, Flanders Hydraulics – Waterbouwkundig Laboratorium, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and F6S, recently travelled to Brussels to participate in the third edition of European Ocean Days. This week-long event served as a major gathering for the Mission Ocean and Waters community, bringing together policymakers, scientists, and industry leaders to discuss the future of our aquatic ecosystems.
About EU Oceans Day
The European Ocean Days is a week-long event with a series of dynamic and interconnected sessions focused on key ocean-related themes, all designed to encourage participants to engage across topics and contribute to a shared vision for the prosperity, competitiveness, security and sustainability of our ocean.
Inspired by the European Ocean Pact, the 3rd edition of the event brought together industry leaders, startups, investors, policymakers, scientists, SMEs, representatives from fisheries and aquaculture, islands and coastal communities, the Mission Ocean and Waters community, and civil society, including youth voices. Participants engaged in consultations, panel discussions, workshops, and community events to exchange ideas, discuss upcoming challenges, scale up innovative solutions, and jointly paved the way for concrete actions supporting the implementation of the European Ocean Pact.
Spotlighting the latest SUNDANSE results
During the event, the SUNDANSE team presented two significant project results that drew considerable interest from stakeholders:
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Physical scale model: Our partners from Flanders Hydraulics – Waterbouwkundig Laboratorium, presented a mini version of a physical scale model. This tool is essential for understanding hydraulic dynamics and sediment behaviour.
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Scientific poster on toxicity monitoring: Developed by our partners at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, we showcased the latest research on on-site sediment and water toxicity monitoring. This work is vital for identifying and eliminating pollution in river basins.
In the spirit of the Danube & Black Sea Lighthouse synergies, we didn’t work in isolation. SUNDANSE co-hosted a dedicated sediment-based booth alongside our sister projects, DANSER and DALIA. This joint effort highlighted the importance of sediment management in achieving EU environmental targets. Together, the team spent time at the booth networking and discussing future synergies with interested parties.
4th Mission Ocean and Waters Forum
The SUNDANSE team also participated to the 4th Mission Ocean and Waters Forum, on Thursday, 5 March. This session focused on taking stock of the Mission’s progress and mobilising actors for the next deployment phase.
The forum addressed several key pillars:
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Restoration: Protecting marine and freshwater biodiversity.
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Pollution: Strategies to eliminate water contaminants.
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Blue Economy: Making the maritime sector climate-neutral and circular.
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Finance: Mobilising different streams of funding to scale up local solutions.
By participating in these high-level consultations, the SUNDANSE project continues to align its research with the strategic focus of the EU, ensuring our results contribute directly to the implementation of the European Ocean Pact.