Advancing research on marine pollution and ocean health, the Plastic Busters group of University of Siena is participating in HARMONY.

The University of Siena is once again at the forefront of research on marine pollution, together with the Marche Polytechnic University.UNIVPM will coordinate a major international project on marine pollution and ocean health, recently funded by the European Commission under the Zero Pollution framework. The project, called HARMONY, brings together researchers from Europe and India and has a total budget of about €10 million.

Within the HARMONY project, the University of Siena will contribute to the coordination of a series of key research activities together with European partners from Italy, Spain, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, as well as six universities and research centres in India.

The Siena component of the project is coordinated by Professor Maria Cristina Fossi and her research group, who will lead major activities focused on monitoring the presence and effects of emerging contaminants (such as pharmaceuticals, plastic additives, and others) in important marine ecosystems across Europe, including Marine Protected Areas.

A key element of the project will be field validation at eight European and Indian pilot sites, selected to represent different environmental and socio-economic contexts. This approach aims not only to strengthen scientific cooperation, but also to support the alignment of European and Indian environmental policies and strategies, promoting marine governance based on solid scientific evidence.

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