"Water resource management is becoming an urgent challenge, for Europe and the world, as populations grow and requirements increase. Degradation of our coastal and estuarine waters is of particular concern to policy makers at regional, national, EU and international levels, and increasingly to the public at large. The EMSAC project will address this challenge by ensuring that Europe’s knowledge resource is effectively directed towards building the mix of solutions required. These include: advanced sensing and surveillance systems, improved operational management for resource extraction including renewable energy, better management of coastal ecosystems and protected areas, techniques to minimise impacts of flooding due to sea-level rise, and advances in resource-efficient desalination. EMSAC will help achieve this by working collaboratively with clusters of expertise in different regions of Europe, involving research institutions, businesses and public authorities. These new relationships will facilitate a shared action plan of priorities in RTD, innovation and their supporting infrastructure. Europe is fortunate to possess many world-class research bodies in the field of coastal and estuarine sciences, as well as a vibrant mix of companies operating in the coastal zone management, renewable energy & monitoring markets. However, this expertise is presently fragmented across disciplines, and investment in RTD lacks consistency between regional, national and EU levels. There is also inadequate coupling between the RTD base and this rapidly evolving market domain. By working with leading regional clusters of capability, and inviting other regions to engage during the project, EMSAC will stimulate an integrated investment portfolio of RTD priorities and innovation capacity. This will not only deliver improved resource management in coastal and estuarine waters, but will also position Europe’s businesses to exploit this commercial opportunities to the full."