Contribution of marine biology and biotechnology to the "Blue Growth"

Departments involved

"Integrative Marine Ecology" (EMI) – leader
"Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms" (BEOM)
"Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources" (RIMAR)

Marine biology, the discovery of new organisms and the understanding the interactions and adaptations of organisms are part of basic research of this Research Area. This represents the main focus for new discoveries, including the Biotechnological applications (i.e., the application of advanced techniques and innovative knowledge to develop biological products and other factors beneficial to humans). Blue Biotechnologies are increasingly important in Europe and at international level, and will contribute to shape the future of our economies.

Marine biotechnology is also central in the objectives of Horizon 2020. 

This SZN Programme covers different research areas and is implemented through the execution of the following objectives:

Objective 1. Marine Biodiversity: ecology of marine organisms and identification of species of biotechnological interest
Objective 2. Potential of marine biotechnology in the pharmaceutical field
Objective 3. Potential biotechnology of marine organisms in the field nutraceutical, cosmetic and environmental products.

Marine organisms: genomics, development and evolution

Departments involved:
"Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms" (BEOM) - leader
"Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources" (RIMAR)

SZN is recognized internationally for the expertise and contributions to the understanding of the biology of marine organisms, which represent ideal models of study in different research areas such as developmental biology, reproduction and development, up to pre-clinical testing. Along with the strong tradition of the SZN in the study of marine organisms in the Mediterranean, the SZN will propose novel models for multidisciplinary studies covering different aspects of basic and applied research.

The marine organisms investigated by SZN will represent a new generation of "model organisms", which will provide a new momentum in biological and bio-medical research, by contributing to i) the understanding of how complex marine life has evolved; ii) how to protect marine biodiversity, iii) how to expand the Blue Growth and Blue Economy, from the discovery of new bioactive molecules to the development of sustainable fisheries.

Three main objectives have been identified:

Objective 1: Sequencing the genome of 100 "model" organisms of the Mediterranean Sea
Objective 2: Origin and evolution of developmental mechanisms in deuterostomes
Objective 3: Biological plasticity of marine organisms

Marine Observatory: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning

Departments involved:
"Research Infrastructure for Marine Biological Resources" (RIMAR) – leader
"Integrative Marine Ecology" (EMI)

Over the next three years, SZN will consolidate its leading role in the field of marine sciences. It will do so by developing an integrated marine observatory, which will, for the first time, couple environmental information with biological and ecological data in a synergistic approach focused to the study of both the biodiversity and the functioning of marine ecosystems. The Observatory has the objective of cover the Tyrrhenian Sea (unique among Italian seas to be completely within our national territory), with special reference to the Gulf of Naples.

The main goal is to build upon the research excellence that SZN has developed previously in the study of biological and ecological dynamics and interactions, promoting the sustainable management of marine biodiversity and contributing to understanding its role in the functioning of ecosystems.

These studies will contribute to define the Good Environmental Status (GES, sensu Marine Strategy Framework Directive; MSFD). The acquisition of this knowledge is part of the themes of the National Research Plan (Blue growth) and Horizon 2020 "Protection of the marine environment as a source of food, energy and biotechnology and the choice of the tools necessary for decision makers politicians".

These ambitious objectives will be implemented through an "end-to-end" approach (from cells to ecosystems) and developing our ability to use advanced and sophisticated technologies both for the development of the biological observing systems and for the in situ sampling.

This program will be implemented through the following main objectives:

Objective 1. Marine Observatory: multidisciplinary approach to the long-term study of marine biology and ecology (Long Term Ecological Research)
Objective 2. Biodiversity and functioning of marine ecosystems
Objective 3. Marine Biological Conservation

Chair

Prof. Enrico Alleva

Prof. Ferdinando Boero

Prof. Roberto Danovaro

Prof. Domenico De Masi

Dott.ssa Christiane Groeben

Prof. Tim Hunt

Dott.ssa Adrianna Ianora

Prof. Axel Meyer

Dott. Antonio Miralto

Prof. Francesco Salvatore

Prof. Vincenzo Saggiomo

Alumni

Immacolata Castellano

Maria Grazia Mazzocchi

Marina Montresor

Luigi Musco

Anna Palumbo

Maurizio Ribera d'Alcalà

Elisabetta Tosti

Adriana Zingone

Research Fellow

Updated on December, 2023