The EU's International S&T Cooperation Programme (INCO) is part of successive Research Framework Programmes (FP) since FP4. Its predecessors were a series of Programmes called Science and Technology for Development (STD I-III), which started in 1983. INCO's most recent research thrusts were focused on meeting basic needs in health and health systems, sustainable use of natural resources, food security, cultural heritage. INCO also invests in S&T capacity building through mobilising teams from Europe and partner countries/regions for problem solving in partner countries and regions around the world. INCO is active on five continents and currently lends support to more than 500 collaborative research projects and S&T agreements with a number of countries interested in coordinating research policies.
SPEAR aims to develop and test an integrated framework for interpreting coastal zone structure and dynamics, in areas where communities primarily depend on marine resources. This framework accounts for watershed interactions, ecological structure and human activities. Our interdisciplinary approach combines natural and social sciences, and addresses the complex scaling issues inherent in integrated management.
Two contrasting systems in China will be studied: Sanggou Bay, part of a rural watershed, and Huangdun Bay, located in an industrialized area south of Shanghai. In both systems, large-scale cultivation of seaweeds, shellfish and finfish are of paramount importance for community income and livelihood.