Overview   Business

On 26 January 2023, the EMODnet Secretariat hosted an online workshop on the added value and benefits of the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoint (SBCP) exercises that took place across six sea basins in 2013-2018. The workshop brought together more than 50 experts including EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoint Coordinators, partners and expert panel members, EMODnet thematic and data ingestion Coordinators and representatives, EMODnet associated partners, the European Commission and wider invited experts from the European Ocean Observing, marine data and user community.

EMODnet invites inputs to a public survey on the benefits of the SBCP which remains open until 2 February 2023!

DG MARE has identified smart specialisation strategies (S3) as a key tool for implementing the Communication on a Sustainable Blue Economy (SBE), as an integral part of the European Green Deal (EGD). DG MARE has set up the S3 thematic platform for SBE, to support blue economy interregional partnerships/value chains. The promotion of best practices, lessons learned and future perspectives is extremely valuable in fine-tuning the support provided by the S3 thematic platform for SBE.

On 20-21 September 2022, EMODnet together with EC DG MARE organised a workshop on “EMODnet marine data for the offshore renewable energy sector in the Northeast Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea”. The workshop was attended by more than 65 offshore renewable energy experts with representatives from diverse sectors including industry, research and marine data services. EMODnet was well represented by thematic experts from physics, biology and human activities, together with the EMODnet Secretariat. The agenda included a demonstration of the latest EMODnet services, use cases of how the offshore renewable energy sector use EMODnet data and data products, and dialogues on data requirements and data sharing. A second workshop on the same topic, focusing on the Mediterranean and Black Seas will follow on 20-21 October 2022.

The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), Marine Technology Society (MTS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and industry partners launched a new Ocean Decade action - a forum for compact and meaningful dialogue with new and established companies, academia, and government. Through a successful and thriving mix of the public and private technologies and players, Dialogues with Industry will aim to dismantle barriers and highlight opportunities towards achieving a mature, vibrant ocean observing enterprise.

The summary for the UN Ocean Conference (27 June to 1 July 2022) side event on “Marine Data Interoperability”, that was co-organised by the EMODnet Secretariat, is now available online. Check it out!

On 19-20 May 2022, EMODnet experts from across the network joined hundreds of marine and maritime stakeholders in Ravenna, Italy and online for European Maritime Day 2022. At the event, EC DG MARE hosted a workshop on Ocean Observation and the Blue Economy Observatory, which presented the ‘EC Ocean Observation – sharing responsibility’ initiative, explored synergies with the Blue Economy Observatory and launched the EC Blue Economy Report 2022 co-produced with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) which features EMODnet and the European Atlas of the Seas.

On 19 May, EMODnet co-organised a workshop with European projects EuroSea and Blue-Cloud on ‘Ocean Observations, marine data and services for the European Green Deal’ with EMODnet Chemistry and the Secretariat presenting concrete use cases of EMODnet data and data products for the EU Green Deal. In addition, EMODnet Human Activities moderated a workshop on Aquaculture and EMODnet Biology presented at a workshop on the Digital Ocean.

Read more on EMODnet’s activities at EMD2022, including further information on EMODnet and European Atlas of the Seas’ contribution to the EC Blue Economy Report 2022.

The #OceanChallenge4Africa online hackathon aims to tackle ocean challenges in the coastal and marine regions of Africa and to pool African energies to grasp opportunities offered by the ocean. It is organized by Mercator Ocean International, IOC Africa and Garage48; and supported by the EU’s Copernicus Marine Service and Segal Family Foundation. It is further held in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme GEMS Ocean, GEO Blue Planet and the African Group on Earth Observations (AfriGEO). The deadline for idea submission and team formation is 22 March 2022.

Ocean-based industries and conservation organisations are working towards 2030 targets to reduce harmful practices and restore ocean health. The summit will assess whether the targets are ambitious enough, and what policymakers, industry, and investors should do to achieve them.

Did you know that the EMODnet Open Conference virtual exhibition is still open for the public? The exhibition, set up for the EMODnet Open Conference in June 2021 takes the user through an informative journey of the past decade of EMODnet achievements, the latest state-of-the-art in in situ marine data services, key partnerships at EU and global levels – including with the ocean observation community, and EMODnet’s increasing win-win collaborations with the Blue Economy and Business sectors.  There is information on the diverse activities of EMODnet, you can visit the gallery of community posters and get informed on related initiatives such as European Atlas of the Seas. The virtual exhibition closes in Spring 2022.

The 6th edition of the EU Datathon, the annual EU open data competition, includes four challenges. 

The finals will take place on 20 October 2022.