At the UDAP Workshop, which outlines Turkey’s roadmap for marine research and identifies new project areas, current needs and priority R&D topics in 14 different fields—focused on marine and coastal ecosystems, observation technologies, and marine governance—were discussed.
The UDAP Workshop, organized to update the National Marine Research Program (UDAP) and identify Turkey’s priority research topics, was held at the TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (TÜBİTAK MAM). The program, carried out under the Navigation, Hydrography, and Oceanography Services Planning and Coordination Board (SHO KURUL), was opened by TÜBİTAK MAM President Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy and SHO KURUL Chair, Navy Captain Ümit Görür. The workshop brought together representatives from military and civilian institutions, academics, engineers, and expert researchers.
On the first day of the program, the opening session was followed by working sessions. The workshop, which concluded on the second day with group evaluations and a closing session, addressed research priorities under three main thematic groups and a total of 14 topics. In the first group, titled “Marine and Coastal Ecosystems, Environmental Sustainability,” biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles, marine pollution, the effects of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems, and the sustainable use of living marine resources were evaluated. In the second group, titled “Marine Research, Observation and Advanced Technologies,” the topics discussed included the monitoring of coastal and marine dynamics and their integration into decision-support systems, operational observation and modeling systems, marine geology and geophysics, polar research, as well as new technologies and renewable energy. In the third group, titled “Marine Governance, Blue Economy, and Human Resources,” topics such as the blue economy, maritime law and marine spatial planning, underwater cultural heritage, researcher training and capacity building, and marine literacy were elaborated upon.
TÜBİTAK MAM President Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, highlighting the workshop’s importance for marine research and the institution’s goals, made the following remarks:
“Our seas are of great importance to our country in many respects, ranging from environmental sustainability to economic development, and from scientific research to strategic security. However, better understanding, protecting, and sustainably utilizing our seas requires a strong scientific infrastructure, advanced technologies, and inter-institutional collaboration. At TÜBİTAK MAM, our goal is to align our scientific expertise and technological capabilities with our country’s priorities in the field of marine research. Bringing together our academics from various disciplines, representatives of our military and civilian institutions, engineers, and experts on a single platform presents a significant opportunity to identify our common needs and develop new collaborations. We believe this workshop will contribute to the development of joint research projects and the strengthening of our national research capacity.”
The academic and technical outputs generated during the workshop serve as a strong reference for the multidisciplinary R&D activities to be carried out in the coming period. TÜBİTAK MAM, which actively contributed to the process, continues to serve national priorities with its broad range of expertise, spanning from marine ecosystems to advanced technologies.
