Oil pollution in the marine environment can cause harmful effects on organisms and ecosystem functioning. Studying hydrocarbon contamination in controlled environments (mesocosms) can provide added value in better understanding the consequences and impact these substances may have in the natural environment (short- and long-term effects).
As a trade-off between in vitro reproducibility and natural interactions between species within and between trophic levels, large tanks or mesocosms are indispensable tools for simulating the marine environment with the aim of studying the effect of pollution and related intervention actions, since to date current regulations prohibit field experimentation. The mesocale pilot facility as a controlled marine ecosystem is thus presented as a realistic, replicable and manipulable tool.
The research activities of the Institute are carried out in the context of research, development and innovation projects, both national and international, based on regional funding programs (POR FEAMPA - Regional Operational Program of the European Maritime Affairs Fisheries Fund and Aquaculture and POR FESR - Regional Operational Program of the European Regional Development Fund) or ministerial (PRIN - Projects of relevant national interest, PNRA - National Research Program in Antarctica, PO FEAMPA - National Operational Program European Maritime Affairs Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) , programs for European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg), direct funding programs of the European Commission (Horizon2020 and Horizon Europe, Life, JPI - Joint Programming Initiatives, ERA-NET Cofund) and thematic collaboration initiatives managed by international organizations such as, for example , the FAO - GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean). The Institute also develops funded projects in the context of collaborations with private companies in the sectors of the blue economy as well as technology transfer and research results. Research projects, mainly of a collaborative nature, are developed through a wide network of partners that include major Italian and foreign research institutions and universities.
