Authorities: National

IMARES carries out a wide range of studies for the Dutch national authorities. It varies from scientific research, applied research, monitoring, policy documents and advise about policy and management. We are involved in all the ‘steps’ of the policy cycle, starting with the identification of problems, making policy, taking measures and evaluation.

We can offer the identification and measuring of contaminants in a high tech laboratory (‘sterlab’), knowledge about environmental chemistry (sorption, degradation, accumulation), toxicity tests in laboratory bioassays and mesocosms, and risk assessment (different kind of models). This knowledge is for example used by the different national authorities for the registration of new substances, food safety, sediment restoration, trend monitoring, formulate standards, and MER studies.

The strength of IMARES is, besides the highly specialized knowledge, the intermediate position. We are a kind of agent to translate national and international knowledge to research and advise for the policymakers and water managers. If we get an order, the ministry has the guarantee that international knowledge will be applied, because IMARES is involved in a lot of EU-research projects. We are able to combine chemical, toxicological and ecological knowledge. Have good knowledge of the users of the watersystems (industry, oil- and gas offshore, shipping, recreation, windmills, etcetera), yielding excellent understanding of human pressures and achievable measures.