Baltic Sea Monitoring Center – space technologies for safety and ecology

A new platform for cooperation between the scientific community, public institutions, and business will be established in Gdańsk. The Baltic Sea Monitoring Center is intended as a response to contemporary geopolitical and environmental challenges, promoting the development of new technologies and their practical application for the well-being of our sea.

Broad cross-sector cooperation

On March 20 this year, during the PowerConnect trade fair in Gdańsk, an agreement was signed on the development of space technologies and the establishment of the Baltic Sea Monitoring Center (OMMB). The signatories included the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone (PSSE), the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), Gdańsk University of Technology (PG), the Pomeranian Development Agency (ARP), and the Gdańsk Economic Development Agency (InvestGDA). The groundbreaking initiative is actively supported by the government administration, and its expansion to include additional entities is planned in the future.

The partners of the initiative ensure that they have a wide range of versatile competencies that will enable the implementation of ambitious projects at both national and international levels. POLSA will be responsible for the development of space and satellite technologies, with active support from scientists at PG and the use of the university’s research facilities. The investment and business side will be handled by PSSE, ARP, and InvestGDA.

The Baltic Sea monitoring center as a driver of development

The OMMB will primarily serve to collect high-quality information on changes occurring in the Baltic Sea area – from the natural environment to infrastructure and security-related issues. The monitoring will be based on advanced satellite data, supported by data from other sources.

The Baltic Sea has strategic importance, which is why we must have tools to monitor it – summarized Mirosław Kamiński, president of the management board of PSSE. Among the many issues requiring observation are eutrophication and the related algal blooms, sunken wrecks and weapons, the activities of the Russian shadow fleet, and the development of offshore wind farms. The center will enable rapid response to environmental threats and the protection of critical infrastructure and navigation in the Baltic Sea.

According to Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański, the new initiative strengthens Poland’s position in the region and opens up new opportunities for the development of domestic enterprises. The project is expected to provide active support for business, particularly start-ups and companies in the new technologies sector. Training in IT, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence is also planned.

Cooperation within the OMMB is intended to be highly practical – the technologies developed will be tested and actively implemented to support the strategic and economic potential of the Baltic Sea. We will do everything to make innovation our Baltic specialty – said Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

Development of space technologies as a strategic EU objective

The new Baltic Sea Monitoring Center will be an important point not only on the Polish map of science and business. Thanks to the involvement of the agreement’s partners, Gdańsk – as the third city in Poland (after Warsaw and Rzeszów) – has gained the status of a business incubator of the European Space Agency (ESA BIC). Piotr Ciechowicz, vice president of the management board of the Pomeranian Development Agency, believes that the new initiative will facilitate applying for EU funds for the development of space technologies.

Let us recall that the EU Space Programme for 2021–2027 has a guaranteed budget of over EUR 14 billion and aims to support European competitiveness and start-ups in the space-tech sector. Through its implementation, Europe is expected to achieve technological autonomy. If the Baltic initiative succeeds, Pomerania may become one of the key hubs of space technologies on the continent.

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main photo: European Space Agency/Wikimedia