From Policy to Practice: Advancing Marine In Situ Observations through the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

The Black Sea is one of Europe’s major sea basins, providing important opportunities for blue economy development while simultaneously experiencing multiple stressors, including warming, deoxygenation, and overfishing. Addressing these challenges requires sustained interaction between science, policy, and technology development. In 2019, following an intensive co-design process involving scientists, policymakers, funding agencies from Black Sea countries, and the European Commission, the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) was launched. As a concrete product of the science–policy interface, the SRIA established a forward-looking framework to steer research priorities, innovation pathways, and implementation-oriented projects in the region.

One of the largest initiatives implementing the SRIA was the BRIDGE-Black Sea project, launched in 2021 and concluded in late 2025. Here, we present results from a major policy-driven work package of this project, focusing on how SRIA priorities translated into advances in marine in situ observation technologies. We developed an integrated suite of smart monitoring systems and sensing platforms explicitly aligned with SRIA objectives and regional policy needs. These systems include eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity assessment, metagenomic approaches for marine enzyme exploration, mobile observing platforms such as ScanFish and gliders for high-resolution water-column profiling, and advanced benthic observatories integrating imaging with environmental measurements. In addition, we implemented a set of early-warning demonstrators targeting key Black Sea stressors, including rise of the deep sulfidic zone, jellyfish blooms, ocean acidification, and underwater noise. These demonstrators showcase novel applications of UAVs and underwater drones, autonomous pH and pCO₂ sensors, and combined acoustic, optical, and electrochemical detection tools.

Together, these complementary technologies form a coherent toolbox for smart, operational marine monitoring that supports adaptive management and enhanced forecasting capabilities for Black Sea services. We present a technology readiness level (TRL) analysis of these solutions and map their outputs to emerging European marine policy frameworks, including the Ocean Pact, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean. Finally, we assess the transferability and replicability of these policy-driven technological solutions to other European sea basins and coastal systems, highlighting lessons learned for future science–policy–technology co-design processes.