During this Summers ISA session a side event was organized in corporation with the delegation of the Netherlands. The programming at the lunch hour of the second day of the ISA Council meeting was very favorable for a high attendance, more than 120 state and NGO delegates joined the lunch in the delegates room. Specifically the attendance of delegates from developing countries from the African and Asian group, as well as NGOs like Greenpeace, WWF, Pew Charitable Trust and DOSI provided for a fruitful discussion. The workshop was setup in in cooperation with the Dutch delegation, NIOZ and Royal IHC. Head of delegation Wini Broadbelt made an introduction specifically mentioning the practice of cooperation and communication between academics and industry in order to achieve the highest results, balanced between environmental, economical and technical requirements. Presentations than focused on the extraction system, the vertical transport and the environment, including rehabilitation research as is being performed in the JPI Oceans project Mining Impact 2. The following discussion focused on several topics:
1) How to stimulate cooperation between industry and academics? External funding helps as it provides for a cooperation between companies, academics and institutes on an equal basis, not hindered by the classical client-supplier relations.
2) How long before rehabilitation takes place? The program is initiated for 30 years to make sure there is enough time for the slow ecosystems to allow for reoccupying the fake nodules.
3) Is there a way to join the funding programs for developing countries? This was a topic that needs probably more attention, however it was recommended to check the EU funding websites to check for countries eligible for funding in the different programs as there are many opportunities to join for instance H2020.
After the session and during the week many discussions took place in smaller groups, about the side event, EU funding and the technology. The presentation was spread to 25+ interested delegates and organisations.
