ECOSCOPE project concludes with exceptional results

The ECOSCOPE project has successfully concluded with an outstanding final review, which noted that the “project has delivered exceptional results with significant immediate or potential impact”. Focusing on ecosystem degradation and human impacts on fisheries and promoted ecosystem-based fisheries management, the four-year project brought together Universities, research institutions, NGO’s, technology companies and businesses from Greece, Bulgaria, Germany, Canada, Israel, Philippines, Spain, France, Belgium, UK, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland , Cyprus and Malta. 

The University of Malta played an active role across a number of work packages, generating a strong portfolio of outputs, including technical reports, peer-reviewed journal articles, and policy-relevant publications. 

Key outputs falling under the responsibility of the UM included a large-scale survey report on socio-economic preferences for ecosystems-based fisheries and a report on stakeholder views throughout the project lifetime. In terms of policy-impact, the UM also produced a policy-brief  targeting European Union and other policy-makers. It also contributed to engagement activities, from UM webinars  to European webinars, a video explainer, and a radio programme aired on Campus FM. 

Academics at UM also led on the peer reviewed publication on the public understanding of "Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management", and other papers dealing with demand for fisheries regulation, public cooperation and sea-food consumer preferences, presented in conferences like University of Malta Research Expo, the Islands of the World Conference, the Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics and the Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies . Other peer-reviewed publications led by members of the consortium also credited UM academics as co-authors. 

Reflecting on the project’s completion, the Principal Investigator at the University of Malta, Prof. Marie Briguglio said: “The ECOSCOPE final review confirms the quality, relevance, and impact of the work delivered. The consortium was expertly led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Our team at the Department of Economics, supported by the Project Support Office, is very proud to have collaborated with an excellent consortium of partners. This work will continue to inform research and policy well beyond the life of the project". 

The project had received funding from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 101000302. 

The University of Malta congratulates all partners on the successful completion of ECOSCOPE and the strong legacy it leaves behind.