EMODnet Secretariat
The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is supported by a dedicated Secretariat funded by the European Commission. The Secretariat provides high-level coordination and technical support to guide the development of the EMODnet Central Portal, monitor the various EMODnet projects and disseminate their results. The main aim is to develop a more coherent, effective, efficient and fit for purpose EMODnet, and to stimulate its use by industry, policy and scientific data users.
Since 2013, the EMODnet Secretariat is administered by Seascape and hosted at the InnovOcean site in Oostende with the support from the Flemish Government. The initial mandate was renewed in September 2017. The EMODnet core Secretariat team based in Oostende at the InnovOcean site currently consists of Jan-Bart Calewaert (Head of the Secretariat), Kate Larkin (Deputy Head of the Secretariat), Conor Delaney (Technical Coordinator), Tim Collart (Marine Data Analyst & GIS Support Officer), Nathalie Tonné (Project Officer), Nathalie Van Isacker (Project Officer), Angelika Karampourouni (Communication & Partnership Relations Officer), Pieter Torrez (Science and Communications Officer), Megan Tijssens (Junior Science Officer). Additional Seascape staff provide remote support for specific tasks: Phil Weaver (Chair of the EMODnet Steering Committee and EOOS Advisory Committee) and Vikki Gunn (management, dissemination and outreach support). Since September 2018, the core secretariat staff from Seascape is also supported by three other organisations: Trust-IT for communication and webdesign, the European Marine Board to support EOOS Stakeholder interactions, and Bilbomatica for technical and developments support for the European Atlas of the Seas.
The EMODnet Secretariat reports to the European Commission DG MARE and the Marine Knowledge Expert Group. It maintains an open exchange of information with all partners involved and informs the wider community with regular progress reports and updates on the Maritime Forum and the EMODnet central portal as well as through social media.
Main tasks of the Secretariat
- Strenghten the coherence between EMODnet portals and activities
- Support the governance of EMODnet
- Monitor portal usage and overall progress
- Support communication, dissemination of information and outreach
- Collect feedback from EMODnet users
- Support the development of a European Ocean Observing System (EOOS)
- Maintain and further develop the European Atlas of the Seas
Inauguration of the EMODnet Secretariat Office
The office of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Secretariat was formally inaugurated at the InnovOcean site in Oostende (Belgium) on Wednesday 19 February 2014. At the InnovOcean site, the EMODnet Secretariat is co-located with other influential organisations including Flanders Marine Institute, the European Marine Board and the IODE project office for IOC/UNESCO. Go to the Inauguration Page.