The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) acts as the coordination and information platform for marine and coastal related scientific research in Flanders and serves as an international contact point. The VLIZ is a government-funded but autonomous institute with the legal status of a non-profit organization and employs 65 FTE’s. VLIZ set up a strong collaborative network through 21 cooperation agreements with Flemish research groups and administrations and integrates its activities in 7 national and 25 international networks. VLIZ provides assistance, technologies and tools to scientists and policymakers to support marine data management. Within international networks, VLIZ participates in the development of marine data infrastructures. VLIZ data centre is heavily involved in the development and management of international e-infrastructures and services: the central portal and the biology portal for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), LifeWatch Taxonomic Backbone and data systems, World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS), Ocean Biogeographic Information System (EurOBIS), Marine Data Archive, Integrated Marine Information System, Marine Regions. VLIZ chairs the EMBRC Working group on E-infrastructure is a member of the RDA Group of European Data Experts and is involved in the InfraEOSC projects for the life sciences and the environmental cluster, ENVRI FAIR and EOSC Life. VLIZ is a National Oceanographic Data Centre in the network of the IODE programme of IOC-UNESCO and a regular member of the ICSU World Data System. VLIZ maintains a marine observatory that collects long-term data series of phyto- and zooplankton, marine mammals, abiotic and biotic parameters, and is involved in the LIFEWATCH ERIC, EMBRC and ICOS. VLIZ runs a growing research unit that performs data and infrastructure-related research activities.

JERICO-S3: Main tasks attributed under Work Packages:

VLIZ will participate in WP2 on interfacing with other marine research infrastructures, is involved in WP4 as part of the channel-PSS, WP5 on harmonisation, WP6 on data management for marine biological data and WP8 on realizing transnational and virtual access in WP11.

JERICO-NEXT: Main tasks attributed under Work Packages:

WP5: Data management, leading WP5.7: Integration of biological data

WP3:Technology and methodology developments Task 3.2

Relevant Projects- previous and existing

European Marine Observation and Data Network (Role: Coordinator Biology lot; Developer Central lot)

Flanders regional contribution to EMBRC ESFRI 4

Flanders regional contribution to Lifewatch ESFRI

ENVRI Fair - ENVironmental Research Infrastructures building Fair services Accessible for society, Innovation and Research

EOSC LIFE - Providing an open collaborative space for digital biology in Europe