The marine ecosystem offers the material base of the “blue” economy, providing goods and services for the society. The scientific research produced in the Institute of Oceanography (IO) contributes to a better understanding of the marine ecosystem, providing new knowledge for its sustainable management.

The scientific research of the IO is carried out at two spatial scales:

• At a national or eastern Mediterranean scale the production of new knowledge from the IO aims to minimize the impact of anthropogenic pressure on the marine ecosystem from chemical pollution, marine litter, eutrophication and introduction of alien species. In parallel aims to maximize the ecosystem services, through the marine spatial planning of tourism, aquaculture and energy production.
• At the Mediterranean scale, the production of new knowledge from the IO contributes to the understanding of the global climatic change mechanisms as deep-water formation and air-sea interaction.

In the first case, the scientific results are evaluated through the five years reports on the “Good Environmental Status” (in terms of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive) or the “Favorable Conservation Status” (in terms of the Habitat Directive). Based on these evaluations Programs of Measures (PoMs) are proposed every five years in order to achieve the sustainable management of the marine ecosystem. The PoMs have a concrete and measurable impact on the society and the economy.

In the second case, the scientific results although they have a huge impact on the society and the economy are not easily measurable at a short time scale. Nevertheless, the scientific research is going on because the new knowledge on the large scale changes of the marine ecosystems is the only way to mitigate the effects on the society and the economy for the present and the next generations.