What types of research programs does MER coordinate or support?

MER coordinates and supports marine research programs in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean focused on applied science and real-world outcomes. Typical themes include marine biodiversity and habitat assessments, protected areas (MPAs/Natura 2000) planning, habitat restoration (e.g., seagrass), fisheries conservation and bycatch reduction, mesophotic ecosystem studies, and invasive species monitoring and management. Projects may range from targeted pilot studies to multi-partner national and EU programmes.

Do you collaborate with universities, NGOs and public authorities?

Yes. MER collaborates with universities, NGOs, public authorities and industry partners through joint proposals, work-package delivery, field and analytical support, and applied research activities. Collaboration models are flexible and can include partner roles in consortia or specialist technical support to other organisations, depending on project requirements.

Can MER join EU/national consortia as a partner?

Yes. MER can join national or EU consortia as a partner to support proposal development and to deliver defined technical tasks. We typically contribute survey design, field data collection, laboratory analysis, mapping/GIS, reporting, and dissemination activities. Early engagement helps align scope, responsibilities, timelines and budget with the funding call requirements.

What field and analytical capabilities does MER contribute (ROV, drones, surveys, mapping)?

MER contributes end-to-end technical support, including survey design, in-situ measurements, diver-based surveys, underwater video/tow-camera ground-truthing, water and sediment sampling, laboratory analyses, and habitat/biodiversity assessments. We also support GIS mapping and modelling/forecasting where relevant. For deeper or specialized operations (e.g., ROV work), MER can support data interpretation and ecological assessment and can integrate ROV outputs provided by project operators.

Where can I see current and completed research projects?

You can view ongoing work in our “On-going Projects” section and past work in “Completed Projects”. Research outputs and reports are also shared through our Publications pages, where available. These sections provide examples of themes, partners, methods, and deliverables across our research portfolio.

How do I propose a collaboration or partnership?

Contact MER with a short summary of the collaboration idea, including the topic, location, expected timeline, funding call (if applicable), and the role you would like MER to have. If you already have a concept note or draft work plan, share it so we can confirm fit, propose a technical approach, and suggest next steps (e.g., a short call to define scope and responsibilities).

Marine Research Programs & Partnerships

Research umbrella

Research partnerships that move from proposal ambition to reality

MER supports marine research programmes in Cyprus and across the Eastern Mediterranean with field implementation, underwater surveys, ecological analysis, mapping, modelling and reporting that partners can build real work packages around.

Discuss a research partnership Browse research themes

Applied marine research needs more than an interesting idea and a funding application. It needs work packages that can actually be delivered in the field, methods that stand up to technical scrutiny, and outputs that remain useful after the final report. MER contributes to this part of the research chain: translating programme objectives into field protocols, survey campaigns, laboratory workflows, spatial analysis, interpreted datasets and management-facing outputs. This can include field implementation, underwater and spatial survey tools, sample analysis, ecological interpretation and GIS, modelling and reporting.

MER is strongest where marine programmes need both depth and delivery: habitat condition, protected areas, restoration, fisheries and bycatch, invasive species, mesophotic ecosystems, coastal resilience and evidence-led management. In practice, that means helping partners design methods, collect data, integrate different evidence streams, and produce outputs that work for funders, authorities, publications, communities and follow-up action.

Partner roles, skills & delivery strengths

Proposal shaping and technical concept development Helping consortia structure marine work packages that are ambitious but still field-realistic.

Work-package leadership and specialist delivery Across field surveys, ecological assessment, habitat mapping, monitoring, restoration and applied marine reporting.

Underwater, coastal and offshore implementation capacity For programmes that need repeatable marine evidence, not only desk-based coordination.

Integrated analysis across field, lab, GIS and modelling workflows So different data streams become one coherent evidence base rather than disconnected outputs.

Authority-facing and publication-facing deliverables Including technical reports, mapped outputs, protocols, management recommendations and partner-ready synthesis.

Cross-partner coordination and implementation follow-through Where marine work packages need to align with larger interdisciplinary programmes and wider dissemination goals.

Typical partner roles

MER can act as coordinator, specialist partner or work-package lead depending on the programme structure. The strongest fit is where a consortium needs more than scientific advisory input — where it needs a partner that can design methods, deploy teams and systems in the field, manage marine datasets, and convert results into outputs that others can rely on.

Typical outputs

Proposal inputs and technically realistic work-package designs
Field protocols, sampling plans and survey datasets
GIS layers, habitat maps and interpreted technical outputs
Monitoring frameworks, models and scenario-based evidence
Management recommendations and partner-facing reports
Publication-ready, dissemination-ready and authority-facing material

Example Projects

Restoration hub RESPOSCY Cyprus’s first national Posidonia restoration initiative, coordinated by MER, combining risk maps, pilot restoration, 3D monitoring and a Living Lab approach. Protected areas Lara-Toxeftra CARE Climate-adaptive MPA management planning with stakeholder collaboration, local-authority involvement and erosion-impact modelling. Fisheries PROMETHEUS Bycatch reduction, habitat mapping and modelling, multi-criteria decision support and stakeholder-linked elasmobranch conservation. Habitat assessment MESOPHOS ROV-based mapping and ecological assessment of mesophotic ecosystems, integrated with local ecological knowledge and spatial analysis.

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of research programmes does MER support?

MER supports applied marine research programmes involving biodiversity, habitats, restoration, protected areas, fisheries, invasive species, mesophotic ecosystems, coastal resilience and wider marine-management questions.

Can MER join as a specialist partner rather than lead the whole programme?

Yes. MER can act as coordinator, specialist partner or work-package lead depending on the programme structure and technical needs.

Can MER deliver fieldwork and technical outputs in-house?

Yes. MER combines field surveys, underwater observations, laboratory analysis, GIS mapping, modelling and reporting within one marine delivery chain.

Does MER also contribute to dissemination, publications and broader outputs?

Yes. MER can support technical deliverables, reporting, publication-facing outputs and dissemination material linked to marine work packages.