Multiple “wicked” environmental problems, including eutrophication, over fishing and climate change affect our global seas and result in the erosion of biodiversity. Understanding how the structure and function of marine ecosystems respond to these multiple stressors is key for science-based conservation and management. Active management of our seas is required by a number of international conventions, including EU directives and hence there is a clear national requirement to maintain and develop fundamental research and educate expertise to support national requirements. Nevertheless, the field of marine science is small in Finland and Sweden, which emphasises the importance of integration, developing of common research agendas to address the problems, and creating a critical mass of scientists with complementary expertise that have the ability address the problems described above.
In March 2014, a new strategic partnership, the Baltic Bridge, between the University of Helsinki and the Stockholm University prioritize marine and Baltic Sea research. This partnership gives a formal status to the collaboration, which facilitates the forming of new links between researchers, development of joint course activities and potentially also development of infrastructure.