Goals of MLP

The purpose of the Netherlands Marine Life Sciences Platform (MLP) is to bring scientists together in order to strengthen research in marine biological processes in the broadest sense of the word. This includes:

1. oceanic, coastal, estuarine, rocky shores and coral reef research
2. interactions among all relevant subdisciplines
3. collaboration between individuals and institutions, at both the national and international levels.

The hallmark of the platform is thus to network scientists and create a higher visibility of marine biological research within the larger context of Dutch science. This entails a combined "top-down" and "bottom-up" approach to communication.

Why an MLP?

Marine life sciences encompasses many fields-- from single-organism based studies to ecosystem processes, both of which play themselves out in the unique environment of the oceans. The need for biologists, chemists, geologists and physicists to band together in order to solve complex problems is increasingly self-evident, yet communication among researchers with such diverse backgrounds and different perspectives is not automatic. Researchers reside in different institutions and departments, and research monies come from different sources. Within NWO, for example, there are four programs that fund different aspects of the marine life sciences-- GOA, SLW, the Commission for Antarctic Research and WOTRO. For these reasons, it was important to establish a structure that, on the one side, could bring together and facilitate discussion among marine life scientists and, on the other side, create a higher profile and establish a conduit for direct communication with all NWO programs involved in the financial support of marine life sciences research.

Implementation

With support from NWO - SLW, MLP was officially established on 15 September 1995 with an inaugural symposium at the KNAW in Amsterdam. The theme was "Dutch Challenges in the Marine Biosphere".

First year goals were to:

1. advance communication among scientists themselves and with NWO via a database and a World Wide Web Page
2. establish regular workshops on "hot topics", explore possibilities for broader collaborative research (e.g., PRIORITEITS programs) and discuss possible "pilot projects" that should be brought to the attention of NWO, the KNAW, O & W-Wetenschapsbeleid and other supporting organizations.

More general goals for MLP are to serve as a sounding board between researchers and NWO, and to provide support to NWO in their tasks of stimulating new research. The collective expertise of MLPer can be tapped by NWO for peer review of proposals and new panel members. MLP is thus a two-way resource. An important responsibility of MLP is to insure that grant proposals relating to marine life sciences flow through the proper channels of NWO-GOA and NWO-SLW and do not "fall between the wall and ship".

Officers of MLP

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