Baltic Floating University

“Baltic Floating University” (BFU) is a component of the “Floating University” programme, which was introduced in 1991 by IOC UNESCO. BFU was established by IOC UNESCO in 1993 in co-operation with the Russian State Hydrometeorological University (RSHU, St.Petersburg). Later, Helsinki-based Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM) also gave to BFU its co-sponsorship.

In 1996 the Floating University project (including its BFU component) has become part of the IOC efforts in capacity development in the Member States: the IOC Training, Education and Mutual Assistance (TEMA) Program.

Baltic Sea Drainage basin

The “Training-Through-Research” (TTR) principle is being developed and applied through the project. This shipboard training operation has a goal to give effective training for students and young researchers through their participation in advanced multi-disciplinary research programs. It is based on cutting-edge research and includes a series of elements in its annual educational cycle such as: — shipboard data collection, processing and analysis; — daily lectures and seminars on various aspects of marine science; — training in reports and research papers writing; — mid-cruise and post-cruise workshops and conferences for students and researchers to present results of their work; — annual publication of the research results in “BFU Research Bulletin”.

The Baltic Floating University (BFU) gives training for young generation of researchers in collecting and analyzing hydro-meteorological and environmental data and in view of promoting regional and inter-regional cooperation between universities that teach marine science and integrated coastal zone management.

Contributing to the HELCOM efforts in monitoring the environmental situation in the Baltic Region, BFU carries out standard complex observations at the so-called HELCOM monitoring stations. With oceanographic data from the Baltic Sea BFU contributes to the Baltic Ocean Observing System (BOOS, part of the Global Ocean Observing System, a program of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission – IOC of UNESCO), as well as to the BED – Baltic Environment Database (Stockholm University, Sweden). Through the project, RSHU contributes to a number of national programs, the Federal Target Program “The World Ocean” on the first place.