The main objectives of the SUST-BLACK project were to finalise the SRIA and to prepare the Conference where the SRIA would be presented, as well as the final document of the Conference (the Bucharest Declaration).
The specific objectives are listed below – they were all fulfilled by activities developed during the project, which fall into several directions:
-Preparation and finalisation of the SRIA (including the preparation of the digital and paper formats) and of the Bucharest Declaration;
-Preparation of the Conference concept, structure and agenda, together with the Organising Committee (from the EC, Romanian Ministries of Research and Innovation and Foreign Affairs, local authorities, NGOs, and other representatives of the scientific community);
-Definition of the list of speakers, other guests and participants to be invited, aiming to include all the representative institutions, projects and initiatives in the fields of sustainability, circular economy and Blue Growth in all European marine and maritime basins (together with the Organising Committee). This was followed by the process of inviting them to the event and accommodation etc of the sponsored participants;
-Dissemination of the event (date and place of the Conference) around the national, Black Sea and wider community of researchers and stakeholders;
-Preparation of the Conference in terms of practicalities (conference hall, other rooms, conference catering, preparation of the Conference Excursion);
-Preparation of all visual identity materials, building the web page, development of the IT&C tools (including for the Live Streaming of the Conference);
-Preparation for the event in Mass Media, both with introduction to the Black Sea, its problems and efforts for a better understanding of its environment, and with interviews on the SRIA development process and importance of the event.
The SUST-BLACK Conference took place on May 8-9 (at the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest) and 10-11 (the Technical Excursion to the Razelm Sinoie Lagoon System – part of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve). After the event the activities to strengthen the implementation of the Black Sea SRIA were continued by the project team, together with the support of the Romanian Ministry for Research and Innovation, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Commission and other main actors involved in the Conference. Thus, the SRIA was presented and endorsed by the EU ministers of research at the COMPET Council meeting organised in Bucharest (April 4th, 2019). The SRIA was integrally included in the document dealing with Science and Innovation in the wider Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea, endorsed by the ministers of the six riparian countries and the Republic of Moldova (together with the EC and the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation) at the Ministerial Meeting in Bucharest, on May 21st, 2019.The Black Sea SRIA was also presented at a series of European and international specific events, the most relevant being the EUROCEAN Conference, held in Paris on June 10-11, 2019.
In addition to the activities to promote, disseminate and endorse at international and European level, Romania is currently undertaking sustained efforts to introduce the SRIA into its national strategy for research and innovation for 2021–2027 (currently under development), and in other documents and strategies (for water management, Marine Spatial Planning, local administrations of coastal communities).
