On July 2–4 of this year, a scheduled three-day training took place in the city of Kavala, Greece, within the framework of the project “Establishing and Operating an Innovative Marine Technology Transfer Network for Enhancing the Transition to a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Black Sea Basin (EfxINNOs)”, funded by the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin programme. The event was organized by the Democritus University of Thrace in collaboration with the Fisheries Research Institute, located near Kavala, in Nea Peramos. All partner organizations participated in the meeting.
From Ilia State University, the participants included the project’s scientific coordinator, Professor Ketevan Kupatadze from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Tamar Edisherashvili, a doctoral student and young researcher from the same faculty, and Mamuka Modebadze, head of the Marine Technical Services Unit at Ilia State University.
During the training, participants discussed the complete methodology for operating an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Scanner.
Additionally, the data collected over a two-month period from the research buoy installed in the area of Poti Port, Georgia, was presented and discussed. The analyzed parameters included:
- Water temperature
- Salinity
- Conductivity
- Chlorophyll concentration
- Dissolved oxygen concentration
- Oxygen saturation
The core Information was presented by Ketevan Kupatadze and Tamar Edisherashvili.
As part of the meeting, the data transmitted by the research buoy was harmonized with the OceanCast platform (https://envrio.org/oceancast/).
The broader aim of the project is to develop and operate a cost-effective, innovative, and sustainable network of marine monitoring platforms. With partners from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Georgia, the project fosters regional cooperation and contributes to the growth of marine innovation across the Black Sea region.
Funded by Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin and co-funded by the European Union with a total budget of € 1,643,648.40, the initiative represents an important step forward for Georgia and the entire Black Sea Basin—bridging scientific research, education, and environmental sustainability to support the development of a robust blue economy.
The research activities are ongoing.
