Since September 01, 2025, the IMB NAS Ukraine has been participating in the project «Safe Actions for Environment – Baltic Solutions to the Black Sea» (SAFE-BS2BKS)), Grant Contract PSF 2025/01, which was concluded with the Secretariats of the Council of the Baltic Sea States and HELCOM – the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission.

The goal of the SAFE-BS2BKS project is to transfer and implement the most effective and safe techniques used in the Baltic Sea for managing underwater munitions in the Black Sea region, with a strong focus on environmental security and the sustainability of marine ecosystems, especially in protected areas/ (01/09/2025 – 28/02/2027)

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Since 27 August 2024, the State Institution ‘IMB NAS of Ukraine’ has been participating in the European Union (INTERREG VI-B) NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme under Grant Agreement BSB00020 on the topic of ‘Carbon Binding Blue Black Sea’ – BlueC.

The main goal of the project is to preserve marine vegetation and macrophytes, which occupy less than 0.5% of the ocean floor but account for more than 50% of carbon accumulation in ocean sediments. GIS technologies, remote sensing, modelling and mapping will be used to carry out the project tasks. The project activities are aimed at creating a database, a public awareness programme and the development of management tools. The project also integrates an environmental education programme and the Marine Litter Monitoring application for monitoring and reporting in order to raise awareness among the general public.

As a result of the 30-month BlueC project, guidelines will be prepared for a new assessment of the impact on marine vegetation and macrophytes, including the introduction of laws and the strengthening of existing regulations for the protection of marine ecosystems.

Carbon Binding Blue Black Sea (BlueC) Project supported by (Interreg VI-B) NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme of the European Union with reference no. BSB00020 has been signed with a consotium comprising Tekidağ Namık Kemal University from Türkiye as Lead Partner, NGO “BOURGAS REGIONAL TOURISM ASSOCIATION” from Bulgaria as Project Partner 2, Ecological Counseling Center Cahul from Moldova as Project Partner 3 and Institute of Marine Biology of the NAS of Ukraine from Ukraine as Project Partner 3.

This 30-month-long BlueC project aims at enabling macrophytes and the marine vegetation formations to be preserved by suitable management tools, which will ensure that these formations are protected, their degradation are prevented, and they are allowed to be maintained in a satisfactory state of conservation. These management tools will include GIS integration and remote sensing technologies will be utilized in all modelling and mapping activities.

Main activities of the action will include; — integrated database creation, congresses/workshops organisation and implementation of a Community-based Blue Carbon Awareness Programme (ComBlueC) consisted of an offline Blue Carbon Capacity Building Programme (BCCap) and an online Blue Carbon Education Programme (BCEP), and — ecosystem-based impact assessment guidelines development, seagrass meadows mapping, marine litter monitoring and simulation modelling.

Target groups of the action will be primary and secondary school students and their teachers, local authorities and governments and local communities, i.e. local fishermen and private sector developers, and academia.

As a consequence, a guideline will be prepared for a new impact assessment procedure incorporating introduction of laws and strengthening of existing regulations, particularly as regards impact studies to protect species permitting the meadow habitats to be protected. This will take place through support of technologies, such as GIS and remote sensing for mapping, marine litter monitoring, ecosystem modelling for understanding complex systems at spatiotemporal scales needed to conserve, manage, and restore ecosystem services (ESs).

Furthermore, the ComBlueC will facilitate more effective communication of scientific knowledge about seagrasses comprising, (a) the BCEP for the public, to be able to express an opinion, and (b) the BCCap for the administrative structures responsible for authorizing all or part of any potential development project to put it into effect or append its conditions.

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On 27 June 2024, the State Institution ‘IMB NAS of Ukraine’ became a participant in the European Union’s Interreg Next programme under Grant Agreement BSB00174 on ‘Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts and Contextual Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas’ (IASON+).

The project brings together research on invasive species in delta ecosystems by scientists from five countries: Romania (Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development and Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve Authority), Greece (Democritus University of Thrace – Special Account for Research Funds), Turkey (Karadeniz Technical University), Georgia (N (N)LE International Business and Economic Development Centre) and Ukraine (State Institution ‘IMB NAS of Ukraine’).

The overall objective of the project is to continue organising and conducting joint activities to monitor invasive alien species, assessing their impact on specific ecosystem services in the Black Sea delta ecosystems of five countries (Romania, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey and Georgia) and assessing their resilience to current and projected climate conditions, creating and promoting the preconditions for adaptation to climate change.

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Since 2023, the State Institution ‘IMB NAS of Ukraine’ has been implementing tasks under the European Union’s international project HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01 under Grant Agreement 101082004 on the topic “DiverSea – Integrated Observation, Mapping Monitoring and Prediction for Functional BioDiversity of Coastal SEAs” (DiverSea) – Integrated observation, cartographic monitoring and prediction of functional biodiversity of coastal seas.

The overall goal of the project is to meet critical knowledge needs for specific disciplines while creating an integrative architecture that allows for the consolidation and analysis of diverse data streams from robotic, autonomous and remote sensing technologies, as well as new and traditional methods of marine biodiversity monitoring. The plan is to create a long-term analytical structure for ocean observation, monitoring, mapping and prediction (OMoMaP) to analyse marine biodiversity and its links to EGS in European coastal seas. This architecture will facilitate the development of new coordinated policy action plans at national, regional, European and international levels and will be integrated with existing global observation systems.

The project brings together scientists from 19 institutions.

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Invasive Alien Species Observatory and Network Development for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts in Black Sea Deltaic Protected Areas eMs BSB 1121 Grant Agreement with the Danube Deltas National Institute for Research and Development (2020 – 2023)

Role: Project Partner

The main objectives: to establish and perform joint monitoring actions on IAS in Black Sea deltaic ecosystems of five countries (Georgia, Greece, Ukraine, Romania and Turkey) and assess their response under current and predicted climatic conditions.

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«Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea» (EMBLAS-Plus), Letter of Grant Agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Istanbul Region Centre (Turkey). Project no 110515. (2019–2020).

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«Improving Environmental Monitoring in the Black Sea» (EMBLAS-1, EMBLAS-2), Letter of Grant Agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bratislava Region Centre (Словакия). Project no 84971 (2013–2018).

The main objectives:

• to improve availability and quality of data on the chemical and biological status of the Black Sea, in line with expected MSFD and Black Sea Strategic Action Plan needs;
• to improve partner countries’ ability to perform marine environmental monitoring along MSFD principles, taking into account Black Sea Diagnostic Report.

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7^th Framework Programme of the EC. Project of Joint Operational Programme “BLACK SEA 2007-2013

«Research and REstoration of the Essential Filters of the Sea – REEFS». Ref. No. 1.2.1 65869.86 MIS-ETC280 Partnership Agreement (with Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation – Kaliakra Branch (BBF)) 02.03.2012 to the Grant Contract №40921/30.05.2012.

Role: Project Partner

The main objectives: Strengthening the joint knowledge and information base needed for application of the artificial reefs (AR) to address the organic pollution in the maritime ecosystem of the Black Sea Basin;

Supporting the policy makers in defining contemporary strategies, action plans and internal measures for recovering the marine resources, allowing to sustain fishing in Black Sea Basin in future;

Boosting the progress significantly towards to improved of the marine environment in the Black Sea Basin.

The specific objectives of the project to establish long-term partnership platform for scientific, technical, administrative and awareness raising activities in favor of artificial reefs practice as a way of active support of the self-restoration of the Black Sea ecosystem.

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A COast to COast NETwork of protected areas: from the shore to the deep sea – COCONET / (OCEAN.2011-4, partner N° 26, Grant Agreement (287844: Knowledge-base and tools for regional networks of MPAs, integrated management of activities together with assessment of wind energy potential in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.). Project under the 7^th Framework Programme of the EC, Call: FP7-OCEAN-2011 (01.02.2012–31.01.2016).

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7^th Framework Programme of the EC. Project of Joint Operational Programme “BLACK SEA 2007-2013.

Project name «Development of a common intraregional monitoring system for the environmental protection and preservation of the Black Sea – ECO-Satellite»

Ref. No. 1.2.1.67652.36 MIS-ETC154 (Partnership Agreement (with Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace, Greece) 14.03.2011 to the Grant Contract No 68351 14.09.2011).

Role: Project Partner

The main objective of the project – Creating a total intra environmental monitoring system, development of technological means of providing GIS satellite Earth observation data and knowledge transfer of the Black Sea stakeholders.

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Project “Living Black Sea: strategy for expansion of marine protected areas in the Black Sea coastal waters of Ukraine” with the help of the Office of the Counsellor for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine, PIN-MATRA, MoU Ukraine – the Netherlands in the field of nature (2010).

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FP6 European Commission project

ALARM project «Assessing large-scale environmental risks for biodiversity with tested methods» № GOCE – CT – 2003 – 506675, HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GmbH – UFZ

Role: Project Partner

The main objective of the project – on the basis a better understanding of terrestrial and freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem functioning to develop methods and protocols of action to assess large-scale environmental risks in order to minimize negative direct and indirect human impacts.

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EU Project: Environmental collaboration for the Black See Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. Europe Aid /120117/C/SV/Multi Contract № 111779. The Small Phyllophora Field in Karkinitsky Bay, Black Sea, Ukraine. Background information for the Establishment of a Marine Protected Area (2008-2009).

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Сollaboration with National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” (NIMRED). Contract BSEC/PDF/0014/11.2007 “Improvement of the Scientific Background for Assuring Sustainable Development in the Black Sea Coastal Zone – pre-feasibility study”.

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7^th Framework Programme of the EC, Call: FP7-OCEAN-2011-4

«A COast to COast NETwork of protected areas: from the shore to the deep sea – COCONET Grant Agreement № 287844.

Role: Project Partner

The main objective of the project: Knowledge-base and tools for regional networks of MPAs, integrated management of activities together with assessment of wind energy potential in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea).

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Network Environment Assessment and Remediation (NEAR) grant with participants from OBIBSS- Ukraine, Bucharest University (Geological Faculty) – Romania, Institute of Oceanology – Bulgaria, Geneva University – Switzerland.

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The State and Problems of the Odessa Coast Zone (SEPS 548 Project). (2002). The project was implemented under the auspices DFID, British Council, CoastNET, UTSC-Odessa.

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International Marine Organization (IMO) grant, Globallast programme on Overcoming barriers for efficient regulation and management of ballast waters in developing countries.

Within it:

1. conducted hydrobiological studies in the Odessa port water area on issues of transport of invasive aliens with ship ballast waters.
2. prepared a Protocol on bioassay of a pilot autonomous installation for hydrodynamic cavitation treatment and filtration of ballast waters jointly with the Odessa demonstration

centre of the Globallast programme.

With special mission for distribution of Odessa demonstration site experience on the «GloBallast Programme» (GEF/UNDP/IMO, 2001, GLO/99/G31/A/16/19, Global Ballast Water Management Programme – Globallast) Borys Alexandrov (Head of OBIBSS) was lectured in Istanbul University (Fisheries Faculty):

• «GLOBALLAST Programme and some results of baseline survey in Odessa port (UKRAINE)»
• «Risk assessment of the Black Sea biological pollution by ballast water:
  problem and possible ways of its decision»

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Participation in the Black Sea Ecosystem Recovery Programme (BSERP) (2002–2006):

RER/01/G33/A/1G/31: Control of eutrophication, hazardous substances and related measures for rehabilitating the Black Sea ecosystem: Phase1

1)conducted expeditions for studying Black Sea benthos;

2) organized an international workshop on the study of methods used in biological monitoring of Black Sea aquatic vegetation (2004);

3) organized an international workshop on the unification of methods of sampling and processing of phytoplankton and zooplankton samples (2005);

4) created a database for Black Sea GIS which was given a Congress library award.

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Participation in the European River-Ocean Project (EROS – 2000, EROS – 21: Interactions between the Danube River and the northwestern Black Sea (European Commission grant). A review of the longterm changes in the pelagic community (phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish) occurring in the Danube River impact zone of the Black Sea (1995 – 1998) has been done.

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The TACIS project on Near Danube Water Bodies in Odessa Oblast on monitoring zooplankton observations, submerged plants and assessment of water quality in bottom sediments.

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Participated in Global Environmental Facility GEF a World Bank project «Conservation of biodiversity in the Danube Delta» within the framework of which with OBIBSS participating, the Danube Biosphere Reserve was created in 1998.

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Scientific research work was carried out within the framework of the INCO-Copernicus international grant: The study of fluxes of greenhouse gases in the northwestern Black Sea- influence of the Danube River system. It combines the cooperation of the main research institutes active in the Ukrainian and Romanian parts of the areas for greenhouse monitoring, remote sensing, geophysics, GIS and hydrology

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The researchers of the Odessa Branch Institute of Biology of Southern Seas, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine were participants of the COPERNICUS international project on Pollution of the Black Sea with oil products and herbicides: new methods of research – impact on nature No. ERB 15 – CT 96 -0105. (1997-2000).