BFU to Participate in Drafting the European Strategy for Oceans and Seas

Burgas Free University, part of the alliance European University of Island, Port and Coastal Territories, is the only organization from Bulgaria—and indeed the only higher education institution—whose representative has been invited to take part in the first round of stakeholder consultations for the future European Strategy for Research and Innovation in Oceans and Seas. The official invitation was extended by the Directors of the European Commission’s Directorates-General for “Research and Innovation” and “Maritime Affairs and Fisheries” to BSU Rector Prof. Dr. Milen Baltov.

The first round of consultations on the strategy will take place on December 2 at the Berlaymont building of the Commission in Brussels. Immediately before Prof. Baltov’s panel, the two Commissioners responsible will speak: Prof. Kostas Kadis, Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, and Ms. Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation.

The panel in which Prof. Baltov will participate is titled “Europe’s Added Value for Science, Research and Innovation in the Field of Oceans and Seas.” He will also serve as the representative for the Black Sea in the largest public-private partnership co-financed by the Horizon Europe framework program—the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP).

Back in 2018, when Burgas Municipality hosted European Maritime Day at BSU, Prof. Baltov played a key role and personally proposed the name of the Burgas Vision for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea. At present, he is Bulgaria’s national contact point for the Mission “Oceans” and the country’s representative in the Program Committee of the European Innovation Council.

Other participants in the strategy panel include the Directors of GEOMAR, the European Marine Board, the European Polar Board, the Irish Marine Institute, and the German Consortium for Marine Research.