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EMODnet is delighted to share further highlights from its recent Open Conference (OC) 2025, held on 25–26 November 2025 in Brussels, Belgium, including plenary recordings, presentations, photos and more. The OC brought together more than 450 participants from 33 countries on-site and online. As the European Union’s in situ marine data service, EMODnet showcased its essential role in delivering actionable marine data and knowledge for the European Ocean Pact the EU Ocean Observation Initiative and the European Digital Twin Ocean. The event also launched the EMODnet Vision 2035, a community roadmap for EMODnet’s service evolution over the next decade.

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) community is proud to announce the publication of its VISION 2035, a common roadmap for EMODnet’s service evolution over the next decade. This includes a Summary for policy makers with the full VISION including extended recommendations for EMODnet’s service evolution to 2035.

More than 300 stakeholders gathered in Brussels for the EMODnet Open Conference on 25-26 November 2025 which showcased EMODnet’s role as an essential marine data service of the European Ocean Pact. This fourth edition attended by partners, Associated Partners including the private sector, the European Commission DG MARE, RTD, ENV, DEFIS, INTPA, JRC and more, launched the EMODnet community Vision 2035 with an ambitious – yet pragmatic and necessary - roadmap for strengthened investment into EMODnet’s service evolution over the next decade, to meet the emerging and expanding marine data needs of the Ocean Pact, the EU Ocean Observation Initiative and EMODnet as the in situ component of the European Digital Twin Ocean. The event kicked off a Marine Knowledge week, highlighting EMODnet as a cornerstone of EU marine knowledge. Stay tuned for full Highlights! Read more: EMODnet Open Conference 2025 and Vision 2035.

Registration is now open for the Digital Ocean Forum 2025 (DOF2025), taking place on 27–28 November 2025 in Brussels. This high-level event will bring together policymakers, innovators, researchers and the wider ocean community to take stock of recent progress and explore new opportunities for co-creating the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO). Organised by the European Commission in collaboration with Mercator Ocean International, Flanders Marine Institute and Seascape Belgium, and powered by EMODnet and the Copernicus Marine Service, the Forum will feature policy discussions, technical workshops, community use cases, and a live demonstration of the EDITO platform.

Register now to join in person or online! https://cloud3.eudonet.com/app/ut?tok=2DA3BB3D&cs=B8q54z4XtoyX3KJuahJrNtzBbnEAJeeR&p=azUioxMA9y0_LDpWLHk6rPP0SYQVW2Zp7upM6-LZgxIipLXn0UFLj4p22NOtzWgDfw2f-xBvvs7u-A77N_CZ9RNGs6bcuLtl-MhSQWHa8eulKpd_DNp1u8_6SRa48F8g4_ouAX6HGY2aLOBurIyNrWt-XVuDTCY2DduD8JvNvtSLZ2H019C49TQjzQzfQD_I

Save the Date for the fourth EMODnet Open Conference, taking place on 25–26 November 2025 in Brussels, Belgium that will showcase EMODnet as an essential marine data service for the European Ocean Pact, EU Ocean Observation Initiative, European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) and global digital ocean data ecosystem. The Conference will also present the EMODnet community Vision 2035 and will include dialogues on EMODnet's future service evolution. The EMODnet Conference is held back-to-back with the Digital Ocean Forum 2025, as part of a European Marine Knowledge Week.

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) community is proud to announce the publication of its VISION 2035, a common roadmap for EMODnet’s service evolution over the next decade.

The EMODnet Vision 2035 is a necessary document at a time when the urgency and societal demand for marine knowledge to meet societal challenges has never been higher. It is the EMOD-network’s response to the European Ocean Pact, providing tangible recommendations for how EMODnet as the European Union’s in situ marine data service can – and must – scale and expand, to realise its full potential as a cornerstone of European marine knowledge, serving the Ocean Pact and the EU Ocean Observation Initiative, delivering the in situ component of the European Digital Twin Ocean, boosting competitiveness in the Blue Economy, and as a world-class regional data service seamlessly connected to the global ocean digital ecosystem. The Vision showcases EMODnet, from its people to its digital services, and from its service offer to its value creation for policy, research and innovation, the Blue Economy and beyond. Concrete recommendations are presented across four-dimensions of the EMODnet value chain. In the Vision 2035 roadmap the community calls for at least a doubling in EMODnet's funding across the next multi-annual financial framework (MFF) to make this Vision a reality. This includes an expansion of the EMODnet partnership to all relevant in situ ocean observation and marine data actors, to maximise EMODnet’s potential to serve the EU Ocean Observation Initiative, the European Digital Twin Ocean, the wider Ocean Pact and the global ocean digital ecosystem.

Join us online on 13 November 2025 (15:00–16:30 CET) for the official launch of the EMODnet Vision 2035 — a forward-looking strategy outlining the next decade of Europe’s marine data services. Discover EMODnet’s core assets and strategic pillars, explore how its services are driving progress in policy, science, the Blue Economy, and society, and hear directly from members of the EMODnet Vision Drafting Group, representing partners and stakeholders across the marine data value chain. Register today and join the discussion.

The stage is set for the EMODnet Open Conference 2025, taking place on 25–26 November in Brussels with the launch of the full programme online. The event titled “EMODnet: an essential marine data service for the European Ocean Pact” will bring together EMODnet partners and wider marine data experts, policymakers, scientists, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and more to explore how EMODnet is a cornerstone of EU Marine Knowledge central to delivering the European Ocean Pact, and how EMODnet can further evolve to meet emerging EU policy, Blue Economy and wider user needs.

Register now for the EMODnet Open Conference 2025, taking place on 25–26 November 2025 in Brussels, Belgium that will showcase EMODnet as an essential marine data service for the European Ocean Pact, EU Ocean Observation Initiative, European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) and global digital ocean data ecosystem.

The Conference will also present the EMODnet community Vision 2035 and will include dialogues on EMODnet's future service evolution. The EMODnet Conference is held back-to-back with the Digital Ocean Forum 2025, as part of a European Marine Knowledge Week.

We kindly invite you to register to attend and share the invitation throughout your network.

We look forward to seeing you at OC2025!

The fourth edition of the Digital Ocean Forum will take place on 27-28 November 2025 in Brussels (Belgium). At this annual flagship event, ocean scientists and modellers, data scientists, researchers, innovators and policymakers will come together once again to take stock of recent developments and explore new opportunities towards the co-construction of the European Digital Twin Ocean, following the success of previous DOF editions and the showcasing of the EU DTO platform at the UN Ocean Conference 2025. Stay tuned for more information and registration details!

In 2024, EMODnet reinforced its status as a trusted European resource for marine data and knowledge. Following the successful launch of its upgraded portal in January 2023, EMODnet attracted over 120,000 annual visitors who benefited from streamlined access to extensive cross-thematic datasets. The newly published EMODnet 2024 Annual Report offers a detailed overview of the year's key achievements, user metrics, and essential facts and figures. It includes updates on thematic services, expanded geographic and temporal coverage, new parameters and data products, EMODnet's contributions to the European Digital Twin Ocean, broader EU and global partnerships, EMODnet's pivotal role in the European Atlas of the Seas communication tool, and much more. Read the full report.

EMODnet recently launched four new webpages, each dedicated to supporting sustainable ocean management, fostering innovation, and aiding evidence-based policymaking. Explore how EMODnet supports society, research and innovation, EU and global policy, and the blue economy, under the ‘Solutions’ tab of the EMODnet Portal. These new resources were published in time for European Maritime Day 2025 in Cork, Ireland.

In June 2025, the European Commission launched the European Ocean Pact, a framework for connecting EU ocean-related policy which puts marine knowledge front-and-centre as a cross-cutting foundation and an enabler for delivering EU policy – from Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) to the Nature Restoration, including EU Member State commitments to global ocean policy frameworks including the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). This follows the EC call for evidence for the European Ocean Pact in early 2025 to which EMODnet responded, together with over 900 other key actors and stakeholders in the landscape.

Join EMODnet at the EMD 2025 in Cork, Ireland, from 21-23 May 2025 where EMODnet and EU DTO will be exhibiting, together with other key actors in the European marine and maritime landscape, engaging also in stakeholder workshops and plenary sessions, including continuing the Oceans and Fisheries dialogues that are shaping the European Ocean Pact. Apply now to secure your spot: https://maritime-forum.ec.europa.eu/theme/governance/european-maritime-day_en

Many EMODnet experts attended the International Ocean Data Conference (IODC III), held on 10–11 March 2025 in Santa Marta, Colombia, co-organised by IODE of IOC-UNESCO and INVEMAR in the context of the UN Ocean Decade. This event brought together global marine data actors to advance open, FAIR, and interoperable ocean data systems with thematic session on marine biodiversity data, capacity building and the global ocean data ecosystem. Check out the EMODnet posters, presentations and highlights on the IODC III website and EMODnet Portal!

From 11 to 13 March 2025, the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics-OGS, which coordinates EMODnet Chemistry, was in Monaco to represent the consortium at the workshop on Harmonization of Monitoring and Assessment of Plastic Pollution of the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML) Community of Practise (CoP). At the meeting, participants faced the challenging task of considering and bringing together different communities concerned with plastics in the economy and/or the environment, for example, as well as their best practices and terminologies.

On 25–27 March 2025, over 400 people joined the EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 online, bringing together marine data users, data scientists, developers, and innovators from across Europe and beyond. Their mission: to co-create solutions to real-world ocean and coastal challenges using the EMODnet service and other open-source data. For this edition, participants were also given exclusive access to the full EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service data collections via the European Digital Twin Ocean cloud-based service, which also offers state-of-the-art analytical tools and modelling capabilities. The two top winning teams will pitch their solutions at European Maritime Day 2025 in Cork, Ireland! This flagship event ended a bumper Marine Knowledge Month following EU Ocean Days 2025 (see news articles below for more information).

The “International Ocean Data Conference – III” is currently accepting abstracts for its upcoming event, scheduled for 10–11 March 2025 in Santa Marta, Colombia. Abstracts should align with the themes listed on the conference website and adhere to the provided submission guidelines. All content must be in English. Presenters will be required to submit a prerecorded video and participate in the Q&A session associated with their presentation, either in person or virtually. Limited financial support is available for presenters from developing countries with accepted papers; individuals should indicate any funding needs during the abstract submission process. All abstracts must be submitted electronically by 24 January 2025 (midnight CET). Additional details can be found at: https://oceandataconference.org

What do you get if you combine the EMODnet marine data service and the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) platform in a Hackathon? A world-first opportunity to ideate and innovate using Europe’s most comprehensive  in situ  marine data and data products, on the cloud! From 25–27 March 2024, the fourth edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL 4.0) Hackathon will offer exactly that. And, as a free, online event, this hackathon is truly open to all. Registration is now open, just in time for the festive season! Don’t miss this chance to join a community of ocean innovators—register now and turn your data-driven vision into action! Winning teams will receive a variety of prizes. Terms and conditions apply.

Mark your calendars for the 4th edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL) Hackathon, happening online from 25 to 27 March 2025. The hackathon builds on the last 3 successful editions, with one key difference: In addition to using EMODnet services, participants will be given unparalleled access to the EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service offer via the European Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure (EDITO). This is a very exciting time for marine digital services, and we invite all interested stakeholders, from data scientists to IT specialists and from policy makers to researchers, students and the private sector to join EMODnet in this unique hackathon - Stay tuned for more details, coming soon!