Seas, Oceans and Public Health in Europe (SOPHIE) is a pan-European initiative to coordinate research into the complex links between the marine environment and human health and wellbeing.

Visit the project website here

SOPHIE will deliver a clear road map for the future direction of Oceans and Human Health research in Europe, and builds on ongoing work at the University of Exeter to improve our understanding of the impacts environments such as ‘blue spaces’ can have on health and wellbeing.

Launched in Jan 2018 and funded by a €2million investment from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, it will foster an Oceans and Human Health network, and create a legacy that will advance this emerging field across Europe.

Over the last ten years a growing body of evidence has suggested both the marine environment and human health are inextricably linked. Yet we’ve lacked a consistent and coordinated approach to develop these findings further and use them to inform policies. SOPHIE will help us to do this, creating a platform for different communities to work together and achieve sustainable interactions with coastal environments.

The project will explore the complex interplay between the health of the marine environment and that of humans, and through a series of forums and events aims to build a community of researchers and practitioners from two traditionally distinct groups; marine and maritime specialists and the medical and public health sector.

SOPHIE includes members from academia, small and medium sized businesses, and government, with the team holding particular expertise in developing and implementing public health and environmental policies. The full list of partners is:

• University of Exeter Medical School
• European Marine Board
• Deltares
• National University of Ireland
• Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and Environment
• Seascape
• SUBMON
• Travelecoology

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 774567.