PRESENTATION
Who we are
The Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies has been established in 2018. The interdisciplinary research team combines biological and life sciences with humanities, as it actively connects with other institutes of ZRS Koper.
Competences and achievements
Through research, the Institute promotes excellence and responsibility. The researchers of the Institute undertake environmental and other interdisciplinary applied national and international research projects in the field of sustainable development, produce scientific and expert reports and papers, organize and take part of scientific and expert meetings. Research areas of the Institute are oriented mainly to the Mediterranean.
Mission and vision
The vision of MIOS is to become a reference center for responsible research and innovation that addresses the environmental and other dimensions of the sustainable development of the Mediterranean area in an integral way. We believe that human communities need to be aware of the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change, preserve biodiversity, restore and maintain ecosystem services provided by natural ecosystems. Our mission is to encourage this and strengthen the sustainable aspects of coexistence through research. In order to strengthen the awareness that humans are part of ecosystems, and to promote a different, more sustainable attitude towards the environment, it is necessary to include social and especially environmental responsibility in education, research and innovation.
To follow this vision, we see our research contribution in priority areas as:
- sustainable management of natural resources, preservation and restoration of ecosystems,
- integrative evaluation of ecosystem services, creation of payment schemes for ecosystem services,
- exploring different dimensions of biodiversity,
- mitigation and adaptation to climate change,
- circular economy and the transition to a low-carbon society,
- Mediterranean sustainable lifestyle and blue growth,
- production of sufficient and high-quality food with environmentally friendly technologies,
- sustainable management of rural and urban coastal areas of the Mediterranean, with the aim of increasing their competitiveness, functionality, resilience and adaptability.
Head: Jerneja Penca, PhD, Senior Research Associate
E-mail: mios@zrs-kp.si
Phone: +386 5 663 77 00
RESEARCHERS

Jerneja Penca, PhD

Liliana Vižintin, PhD

Erik Kralj

Boris Kryštufek, PhD

Peter Kumer, PhD

Cécil Meulenberg, PhD

Suzana Škof, PhD
RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECTS
FINISHED RESEARCH PROJECTS
Surviving the Anthropocene through Inventing New Ecological Justice and Biosocial Philosophical Literacy
ARRS Code: J7-1824
Period: 01. 07. 2019 – 30. 06. 2022
Head: Lenart Škof, PhD, Principal Research Fellow
Participating research institutes: Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies and Institute for Philosophical Studies
ONGOING INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
Smart Control of the Climate Resilience in European Coastal Cities (acronym: SCORE)
European Commission: Call: H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2019-2020; Topic: LC-CLA-13-2020
Grant Agreement number: 101003534
The overall aim of SCORE is to design, develop, monitor and validate robust adaptation measures in coastal and low-lying areas to protect them from increasing climate and sea level risks, including coastal flooding and erosion, to enhance their overall long-term resilience.
SCORE outlines a co-creation strategy, developed via a network of 10 coastal city ‘living labs’ (CCLLs), to rapidly, equitably and sustainably enhance coastal city climate resilience through Ecosystem-Based Approach (EBAs) and sophisticated digital technologies. SCORE will establish an integrated coastal zone management framework for strengthening EBA and smart coastal city policies, creating European leadership in coastal city climate change adaptation in line with The Paris Agreement.
SCORE will involve citizen science in providing prototype coastal city early-warning systems and will enable smart, instant monitoring and control of climate resilience in European coastal cities through open, accessible spatial ‘digital twin’ tools.
SCORE will provide innovative platforms to empower stakeholders’ deployment of EBAs to increase climate resilience, business opportunities and financial sustainability of coastal cities.
The SCORE interdisciplinary team consists of 28 world-leading organisations from academia, local authorities, RPOs, and SMEs encompassing a wide range of skills including environmental science and policy, climate modelling, citizen and social science, data management, coastal management and engineering, security and technological aspects of smart sensing research.
Through SCORE, ZRS Koper will develop a CCLL and prepare a resilient adaptation plan for the historic town of Piran.
Project partners:
- Atlantic Technological University, Institute of Technology Sligo, Ireland – I.t.s. (lead partner)
- Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies B.v.
- Universitá di Pisa
- University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork
- Universidad de Alicante
- Laboratorio di Monitoraggio e Modellistica Ambientale per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile – Lamma
- Sligo County Council
- Naider Analisis y Accion Socioeconomica Sl
- Uniwersytet Gdanski
- B.I. S.r.l.
- Oarsoaldea S.a.
- Municipio de Oeiras
- University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin
- Red S.p.a
- Samsun Universitesi
- Diputacion de Barcelona
- Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
- Euronovia
- Znanstveno-raziskovalno središče Koper
- Serveis de Suport a la Gestio Sl
- Tero Monoprosopi Ike
- Technicka Univerzita v Kosiciach
- Pro Ge Com S.r.l.
- Erinn Innovation Limited
- Associacao do Instituto Superior Tecnico Para a Investigacao e Desenvolvimento
- Ajuntament de Vilanova I La Geltru
- European Network of Living Labs Ivzw
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
Project duration: 1. 7. 2021 – 30. 6. 2025
Project holder: Atlantic Technological University, Sligo, Ireland
Project leader: Dr Salem Gharbia
Participating institute of the SRC Koper: Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies
Co-ordinator of the project at ZRS Koper: Cécil Meulenberg, PhD
FINISHED INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
ECO-SMART
ECO-SMART
ECO-SMART Ecosystem Services Market for an Advanced Policy to Protect NATURA 2000 areas
Cooperation program Interreg V-A Italia-Slovenia 2014-2020
The ECO-SMART is a cross-border cooperation program project that faces the challenges to more effectively monitor the state of climate change and to plan appropriate adaptation measures to prevent the negative effects that threaten the quality of biodiversity in selected NATURA 2000 sites of the included regions.
The general purpose of the ECO-SMART project is to assess at cross-border level the economic feasibility of biodiversity protection measures and climate change adaptation measures in NATURA 2000 sites through the pilot introduction of payment for ecosystem services tools.
The specific objectives of the ECO-SMART project are:
- the use of harmonized approaches for the analyses and evaluation of ecosystem services;
- creating methodological frameworks that will enable the analysis of climate change vulnerability in selected NATURA 2000 sites;
- pilot design of adaptation plans, of which the sustainability will be ensured through models of payment for ecosystem services.
Project duration: 24 months (1. 4. 2020- 31. 3. 2022)
Project partners:
LP: Veneto Region
PP2: Municipality of Monfalcone
PP3: University of Padua, Department of industrial engineering
PP4: Regional Development Centre Koper
PP5: Science and Research Centre Koper
Participating institute of the SRC Koper: Mediterranean Institute for Environmental Studies
Project leader on behalf of the SRC Koper: Liliana Vižintin, PhD (Liliana.Vizintin@zrs-kp.si)
Collaborators on behalf of SRC MIES: Suzana Škof, PhD (Suzana.Skof@zrs-kp.si) and Cécil Meulenberg, PhD (Cecil.Meulenberg@zrs-kp.si)
Project website: www.ita-slo.eu/eco-smart