During the BRIDGE-BS Final Conference on 25 November 2025 in Brussels, the Policy Brief “Advancing Black Sea Research and Innovation for a Sustainable Blue Economy” was launched to a great audience.

The Policy Brief summarises the key policy-relevant results and tools developed by the BRIDGE-BS project that aim to predict the long-term impact and emerging risks from multiple stressors. The document ends with recommendations for future research and policy needs for the future for the development of a sustainable blue economy within ecosystem boundaries.

Key results and tools include innovations in environmental monitoring, data integration, climate scenario modelling, analysis of the resilience of Black Sea ecosystems, their ecosystem services and tipping points, smart sensor technologies, and decision-support tools to support ecosystem-based management. Through co-development with local communities and policy makers, key management measures for a resilient and productive Black Sea were identified to ensure the long-term sustainability (to 2050 and 2100) of the Black Sea’s blue economy.

The BRIDGE-BS Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) demonstrator combines many of these tools into a virtual representation of the Black Sea to support policy makers in informed decision-making. This will assist with the identification of a safe operating space for the Black Sea, respecting ecosystem boundaries, within which a sustainable blue economy can flourish.

This document was developed and published by the European Marine Board Secretariat, in collaboration with researchers from the BRIDGE-BS project. The Policy Brief is also available in Turkish, Ukrainian, Romanian, and Georgian.