Within the International Training-through-Research programme a series of cruises were carried out in the Baltic Sea and SW Pacific Ocean (see table below). Capacity-building activities also included: the TTR annual post-cruise conference (29 January-1 February, Bremen, Germany); the TTR Session at the First Congress of the Moroccan Petroleum Geologists (28 October-2 November, Marrakech, Morocco); the 15^th BFU mid-cruise workshop (20 July, Stockholm) and a post-cruise seminar (31 July, St. Petersburg); the CFU International workshop on “Natural resources of the Caspian Sea and sustainable socio-economic development of its coastal zone” (27-30 Marcg, Astrakhan, Russia) and the 4^th International youth ecological camp (2-13 August, Aktau, Kazakhstan).

* Baltic Floating University (for details see http://www.rshu.ru/eng/bfu/)
** University of the Sea (for details see http://uos.anu.edu.au/about.html)

The Baltic Floating University (BFU) two-ship operation included: the 15th cruise in the Baltic Sea on board the R/V Professor Shtokman (12-29 July) and a cruise of the sailing catamaran Centaurus-II (both Russia) in the Gulf of Finland (18-31 July). The activity also included cultural and educational programs in Gdynya (Poland), St.-Petersburg and Kaliningrad (Russia), and a mid-cruise seminar in Stockholm (Sweden). The cruises hosted 46 participants from Colombia, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom and Namibia. The UNESCO/IOC Chair in Remote Sensing and Modelling in Oceanography provided the students with training in satellite image processing and analysis of the Gulf of Finland water masses. On July, 31 the Post-cruise Seminar took place at the RSHU for experience exchange between the teams of the R/V "Professor Shtokman" and the catamaran. Students presentated and discussed the results of both cruises. The BFU Research Bulletin No.9 was issued.

The Caspian Floating University (CFU) programme (Astrakhan-based, Russia) organized, between 2-13 August, the 4th International youth ecological camp "Aktau-2007" (Aktau, Kazakhstan) with the participation of 50 school children, students and PhD students from Kazakhstan and Russia. On 27 - 30 March, the International workshop “Natural resources of the Caspian Sea and sustainable socio-economic development of its coastal zone” was held. It was organized for students and young scientists from the Caspian States in the Astrakhan State Technical University.

Within the Training-through-Research (TTR) programme the annual international post-cruise conference was organized (29 January-1 February). Hosted by Bremen University (Germany), it was attended by 60 participants from Europe and Africa. A special TTR Session was organized within the First Congress of the Moroccan Petroleum Geologists (28 October-2 November, Marrakech, Morocco). A group of scientists and students from Belgium, Morocco, the Netherlands and Russia presented results of the TTR studies at the Moroccan Margin. The meeting was the kick-off of a new initiative towards capacity building: the Cold-Water Carbonate Reservoir Systems in Deep Environments initiative for Industry-Academia Partnership.

The University of the Sea (UoS) third training cruise took place in the SW Pacific Ocean onboard the New Zealand’s research vessel Tangaroa (8 October- 21 November). A programme of detailed habitat mapping included seafloor imaging and biological and geological sampling. The 2007 UoS attracted a group of 12 enthusiastic and dedicated students from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Spain and Sri Lanka.