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Best Action for National Development of International Expert Researchers Activity

Final Report Summary - BANDIERA (Best Action for National Development of International Expert Researchers Activity)

The BANDIERA (“Best Action for National Development of International Expert Researchers Activities”) COFUND Programme managed by CNR covered a period of 4 years from March 2013 to February 2017. It was based on the RITMARE national Flagship Project (Progetto Bandiera), a multi-annual large national project launched within the Italian National Plan for Research 2011-2013 in the field of Oceanography and Marine Sciences. The objective of the BANDIERA Programme was to attract incoming experienced researchers wishing to undertake interdisciplinary research and training in the fields covered by the RITMARE Flagship Project, in order to stimulate their career development and to facilitate cooperation with their institutions and countries of origin. Two Calls for applications were issued at the beginning of the Programme and 13 fellowships have been awarded in total for a duration of 24 months each. The fellows were recruited by CNR and hosted both at CNR Institutes and at other Italian reseach institutions involved in the RITMARE Flagship Project, on the basis of specific agreements stipulated on purpose, depending on their proposed research projects.
The evaluation and selection of applications was performed by two Evaluation Committes (one for each call) composed of international experts in the fields of Oceanography and Marine Sciences.
Within the first Call, issued in mid-2013, 4 fellowships for experienced researchers were awarded on the following research projects:
• OCaRiNAS - Oceanic Color Radiometry to assess spatial and temporal variability of bio-optical processes in Northern Adriatic Sea – Dr. Vittorio Brando - Host institution: CNR Institute for electromagnetic sensing of the environment (IREA), Milan
• CaGeo4C - Characterization of marine geo-hazard features (i.e. landslide, canyons and tectonic active faults) using near-seafloor geo-mechanical Analysis and elastic wavefield seismic stratigraphy derived from 4C Seismic Data – Dr. Leonardo Macelloni - Host institution: CNR Institute of Environmental Geology and Geoengineering (IGAG), Rome
• L3SO2M - Large scale and small-scale observations of microbial mechanisms coupling carbon and phosphorus cycles in the phosphorus limited northern Adriatic Sea – Dr. Francesca Malfatti - Host institution: National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), Trieste
• MoMarZoo - Monitoring marine zooplankton using next generation molecular sequencing – Dr. Sergio Stefanni - Host institution: CNR Institute of intelligent systems for automation (ISSIA), Genoa

The second Call was issued in early 2014 and 9 fellowships for experienced researchers were awarded on the following research projects:
• COMPROMICE - COMParing full tRophic spectrum model Outputs with Models of Intermediate Complexity for Ecosystem assessments – Dr. Elisabetta Morello - Host institution: CNR Institute for Marine Science (ISMAR), Ancona
• OceanMotionFromSpace - Exploiting the synergy between space-born measurements to estimate high resolution high accuracy ocean surface currents – Dr. Marie-Hélène Rio - Host institution: CNR Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC), Rome
• vulnerCLIMA - Understanding and predicting the vulnerability of marine benthic biodiversity to climate change – Dr. Nuria Ullod Teixido - Host institution: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Naples
• SEISMARE - Seismic Oceanography in the Adriatic Sea – Dr. Berta Gorriz Biescas - Host institution: CNR Institute for Marine Science (ISMAR), Venice
• TuPre - Gene expression changes in response to abiotic and biotic stimuli in diatoms: Turbolence and PREdation – Dr. Alberto Amato - Host institution: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN), Naples
• PHAGEMED - Phage host interactions in the deep Mediterranean Sea – Dr. Elena Lara De La Casa - Host institution: CNR Institute for Marine Science (ISMAR), Venice
• APPIA - Analysis of Phytoplankton Phenology in the north Ionian and south Adriatic seas: impact of physical and chemical factors – Dr. Heloise Lavigne - Host institution: National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), Trieste
• ARMSC - Acoustic research for marine spatial planning in shallow coastal areas of the Northern Adriatic Sea – Dr. Aleksandra Kruss - Host institution: CNR Institute for Marine Science (ISMAR), Venice
• ADRHYPOX - Hypoxia and benthic-pelagic coupling in the Adriatic Sea – Dr. Arthur Capet - Host institution: National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics (OGS), Trieste

The BANDIERA Programme initially intended to offer 13 fellowships, 11 of which to initial level experienced researchers and 2 to senior level researchers. Given the high level profiles of 4 of the selected candidates, the programme Management Board decided to award 9 contracts comparable to the initial level for experienced researchers and 4 senior level contracts. The cost difference was financed by the Italian RITMARE Project.
Recruited researchers received a monthly salary including a Living Allowance and a Mobility Allowance and the total remuneration included salary plus social security charges (pension contributions, National Health Service) and any other costs provided by law.
A contribution to research cost for the benefit of the fellows was managed by the respective host Institutes.

The activities carried out by the fellows were integrated in the objectives of the RITMARE project in line with the European Commission Blue Paper (COM2007/575 of October 10th 2007) that highlighted the need to implement an integrated maritime and marine policy in order to “enhance Europe's capacity to face the challenges of globalisation and competitiveness, climate change, degradation of the marine environment, maritime safety and security, and energy security and sustainability.”
In this framework, the BANDIERA COFUND Programme contributed to the main three objectives of the RITMARE project to support integrated policies for the safeguard of the environment (the health of the sea), to enable sustainable use of resources (the sea as a system of production) and to implement a strategy of prevention and mitigation of natural impacts (the sea as a risk factor).
As a long term objective RITMARE aimed at setting up a more internally cohesive system for maritime research, in coordination with the international scientific community and more in tune with Italy's economic and industrial players.
The possibility of hosting fellows from other Countries, with their respective background and expertise, was an added value for the Project and it contributed to the creation of new international networks, thus fulfilling another key objective of RITMARE, that of making Italian research for the Sea more competitive in the European context.