Consultation with Linked Projects and Initiatives on the Implementation Plan event will be organized by Black Sea CONNECT partner GEOECOMAR on 15 March 2023 in Bucharest 2023. The event was aimed to get further input on the Implementation Plan of the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).

In the second half of 2020, national-level SRIA consultations were held in the Black Sea riparian countries. These consultations provided direct input to the SRIA and its Implementation Plan with regard to country level goals and priorities. In order to ensure the involvement of funding agencies and ministries from Black Sea countries, a network called the Operational Network of Funders has also been established. Its goal is to strengthen regional cooperation among public research funders and facilitate the alignment of national priorities (such as research and innovation strategies) and prepare the ground for the focused funding of joint actions to address the key challenges and goals of the SRIA.

The 1st Draft of the Implementation Plan was developed using input from the Operational Network of Funders in addition to national level input gathered through the consultations and input from European and regional level priorities and policies like the European Green Deal, EU Mission: Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, and UN Decade of Ocean Science. Based on this initial draft, the second round of national and international SRIA consultations are happening now.

With this meeting, the results will be incorporated into the Final SRIA and its Implementation Plan.