Wiebke Pankauke is Head of Unit “Ocean, Seas and Waters” in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD). The unit steers R&I initiatives, programmes and Partnerships for healthy Ocean, Seas and inland water systems and a sustainable blue economy. It co-leads the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”. Previously, Wiebke was in charge of coordinating the Commission team for the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. Before joining DG RTD in 2021, Wiebke worked on transport, communication and internal market issues in the Commission and before that as a newspaper journalist in Germany.