The AMRIT consortium is pleased to share its response to two calls for evidence launched by the European Commission concerning the European Ocean Act and the European Ocean Observation Observative. In the context of both these initiatives, Europe’s Marine Research Infrastructures play a crucial role in understanding and responding to global challenges such as climate change, yet fragmentation in operations, governance, and coordination continues to be an issue
The consortium particularly welcomes the Commission’s initiative to strengthen Europe’s ocean observing capacity through the EU Ocean Observation Initiative (OOI). Within this context, the EOOS Technical Support Centre, spearheaded through the Horizon Europe AMRIT project, offers a timely and strategic opportunity to unify Europe’s ocean observing community.
Key Messages from the Consortium:
The need to strengthen coherence and operational alignment across Marine Research Infrastructures.
Despite extensive progress, Europe’s MRI landscape remains fragmented, reducing efficiency in ocean observation operations. A coordinated, federated approach is essential to overcome this longstanding challenge.
The EOOS Technical Support Centre aims to provide sustained and consolidated technical services for EOOS.
Developed under the AMRIT project, the TSC is envisioned as a modular, federated support function capable of sustaining, enhancing, and harmonising Europe’s technical ocean observing capacities. This includes mission planning, deployment and monitoring of observation systems, with capacity to include other essential requirements like coordination of autonomous platforms, technological research and development, and essential metrology services in the future.
The TSC will significantly strengthen and complement Europe’s wider marine data ecosystem.
TSC components will complement and enhance existing European capabilities. The pioneering information services developed in AMRIT will allow users to more efficiently exploit EMODnet data, improve CMEMS product quality and unlock new opportunities for the development of the Digital Twin of the Ocean. This will ultimately benefit research, innovation, and the blue economy.
A successful OOI requires long-term governance, investment, and shared responsibilities.
The consortium stressed the importance of institutional commitments, coordinated resource allocation, and robust collaboration between MRIs, national organisations and European entities. These elements are essential to ensure the sustainability of the TSC and to establish a resilient framework for Europe’s future ocean observing efforts.
Its response to the European Commission’s call for evidence reflects the consortium’s commitment to building a future where Europe’s Marine Research Infrastructures operate with shared vision and purpose, maximising the impact of ocean science for society.
Read the full statements here:
Ocean Observation Initiative: Feedback from: ENSTA / IP Paris / EuroTech
European Ocean Act: Feedback from: Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées