Exchanging marine expertise

“We can’t do it without scientific expertise,” said Judith Palissa, representative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMFTR), summarizing the role of (marine) research in her presentation of Germany’s High-Tech Agenda at the DAM Stakeholder Forum. On September 30, around 40 participants from politics, science, organized civil society, and business met here for the second time this year to discuss current developments in German marine research and policy. Palissa called on those present to actively participate in shaping the High-Tech Agenda. Marine, climate, and sustainability research is one of the five strategic research areas of the agenda.

Torsten Schlurmann, one of the spokespersons for the DAM research mission mareXtreme, had previously presented the mission’s objectives and activities. He emphasized in particular the importance of transferring research knowledge to politics and society, as well as the relevance of transdisciplinary research, which will once again be a special focus in phase II of the mission. mareXtreme develops practical knowledge to significantly improve the predictability of extreme marine events and natural hazards, thereby strengthening the resilience of coastal communities. The second phase of the mission is currently being prepared.

In two station discussions, the forum participants discussed, on the one hand, opportunities for participation and the potential of the High-Tech Agenda for marine research and, on the other hand, the changed social perception of the importance of sustainability, climate and marine protection as a result of the global political situation and the possibilities for science to respond to this. For the DAM, the stakeholder forum is an important sounding board for reviewing its activities and examining them from different perspectives. Many thanks to all participants for the lively discussion and valuable input, which will be incorporated into the planning and orientation of our future activities.

To the stakeholder forum program