Building on the June 2026 launch of the European OceanEye communication, EMODnet provided expert input to European Commission calls for evidence to help shape the future Ocean and Water Research and Innovation (R&I) Strategy.
Recommendations from the conference Riding the Wave: Advancing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Innovation and Cooperation held in May 2026, during which Kate Larkin, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat, contributed to the session From Ocean Knowledge to Policy Impact: Implementing the EU Ocean Pact through Science, Data and Innovation, have been published in Zenodo.
ECSA 61: Bridging the Gap Between Science and Policy in Estuarine and Coastal Marine Biodiversity: The Way Forward, took place in Brussels from 24–27 August. EMODnet Seabed Habitats and EMODnet Biology presented a poster showcasing ‘EMODnet as a Resource for Marine Biodiversity Research and Policy: Data, Products and Benefits for the Scientific Community’.
A marine biodiversity data management seminar was delivered at the University of Pavia on 23 June 2026 for six PhD students and postdoctoral researchers of the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory. The training focused on FAIR and open data principles and on the practical steps required to transform Excel-based marine biodiversity datasets into structured, standardised and well-documented resources for future publication in EMODnet Biology through MedOBIS IPT.
Marine biodiversity data comes from many sources and uses different standards, making interoperability and integration an ongoing challenge. The increasing need for semantic interoperability and data integration in marine research and biodiversity studies has led to greater use of semantic web standards for data representation and exchange. However, there are still datasets that use different languages and specifications where semantics is not fully exploited. A new EMODnet Biology technical…
Following the success of its first edition, the European Commission organised the 2nd European Maritime Spatial Planning Week from 1 to 5 June 2026 in Brussels (Belgium), hosting a week-long series of events dedicated to Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). This MSP-focused week brought together key events and expert groups to foster exchange, build synergies, and accelerate progress on MSP across Europe and beyond.
EMODnet experts were at Digital Ocean Week, including the OceanEye high-level event and the 9th Copernicus Marine General Assembly, EMODnet's Head of Secretariat Kate Larkin spoke on a Panel with EC DG MARE, DG RTD, EEA, Copernicus Marine and EuroGOOS focused on in situ ocean observation and data services. She stressed the importance of diverse, integrated in situ ocean and coastal observations for society, and the unique role of the EMOD-network of experts in delivering this cross-thematic,…
