AQUARIUS - integrating research infrastructures - connecting scientists - enabling transnational access for healthy and sustainable marine and freshwater ecosystems

AQUARIUS is a four-year Horizon Europe-funded project providing transnational access to a comprehensive and diverse suite of integrated research infrastructures. The project will run from March 2024 - February 2028.

AQUARIUS will target and support research and innovation activities that contribute to the objectives, regional scope and implementation of the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.’ The Mission Implementation Plan has informed the thematic (Mission objectives) and geographic (Mission Lighthouse regions) scope of AQUARIUS. Two Super Integration Calls will be launched throughout the project. The first call (now closed) targeted themes and scientific challenges of each of the four lighthouse regions. The second call (open from 2 September – 28 October 2025) will be adapted to the outcomes of the first call and focus on new emerging issues.

The impressive catalogue of 57 research infrastructures available include: research vessels, mobile marine observation platforms (autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, gliders, remotely operated vehicles, and ferry boxes), aircraft, drones, satellite services, fixed freshwater and marine observatories, experimental facilities, and data infrastructures.

AQUARIUS will also provide scientific & technical training together with training on data management and stewardship and virtual access and analytics. Floating universities, summer school courses and marine internships for early career scientists will be organized as well as webinars, videos and other training materials. All training materials will be shared on the AQUARIUS online training repository.

AQUARIUS will implement best practices in open science & open data making all data FAIR. Scientific teams will be invited to make use of the Blue-Cloud Virtual Research Environment and all metadata & data will become part of the leading European & global data infrastructures such as EMODnet, Copernicus and EOSC.

More details about the AQUARIUS Transnational Access, the application process and training opportunities will be presented during the presentation.