The European Commission has approved funding for a new portfolio of European marine R&D&I projects in which the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) participates, thereby strengthening its role as a key infrastructure for research, innovation, and international cooperation in the ocean domain. Taken together, these projects mobilise nearly €54 million, with more than €4.56 million allocated to PLOCAN.
The approved initiatives fall under the Horizon Europe programme and address EU priority challenges such as the restoration of marine and water ecosystems, pollution reduction and climate resilience, as well as long-term ocean observation, the advancement of marine renewable energy, and interoperability of scientific data and services across Europe.
The six new projects supported by the European Commission are: ISLA BONITA. Beautiful island: Supporting Managing Authorities to Restore the Oceans and Waters on Islands, BMAA2030. BlueMission Atlantic & Arctic 2030, REMEDIES 5.0. Integrated and People-Centred Waterfront Restoration for a Resilient European Blue Economy, EMSO EVOLVE. European Vision for Long-term Ocean Observations and Environmental Sustainability, EOSC MESH. Connecting Nodes to Advance the EOSC Federation, and MARINERG-i_IMP. Marine Renewable Energy Distributed Research Infrastructure. Implementation Phase.
Through this portfolio, PLOCAN consolidates its participation in high-impact European partnerships and reinforces its contribution to EU priorities in the green and digital transitions, open science, and the sustainable development of the marine environment.
“This approval represents a very important endorsement of PLOCAN’s role as a strategic infrastructure serving marine R&D&I and European cooperation. Taking part in six projects of this scope and in these areas strengthens our capacity to generate knowledge, accelerate technology transfer, and provide real solutions to major environmental and social challenges,” said PLOCAN Director José Joaquín Hernández Brito.
He also added that “for PLOCAN, it is also an opportunity to further connect the Canary Islands with Europe’s leading innovation alliances and to put our capabilities at the service of a sustainable blue economy.”
In addition to participating in all six projects, PLOCAN will coordinate one of them—ISLA BONITA—which aims to support island managing authorities in advancing the restoration of oceans and waters through Living Labs, nature-based solutions, and a Mission Ocean Accelerator Hub physically located at PLOCAN.
PLOCAN’s role in the other projects is also significant given their nature. BMAA2030, which drives the Mission Ocean and Waters “Atlantic–Arctic Lighthouse,” will develop coordination and support actions to scale up innovative solutions, strengthen governance, and mobilise communities and funding.
REMEDIES 5.0, meanwhile, focuses on restoring urban waterfronts and ports by combining integrated solutions with demonstrations across multiple European cities and ports.
EMSO EVOLVE strengthens the European ocean observation infrastructure EMSO ERIC to evolve towards basin-scale operations and user-oriented services, improving governance, data services, and capacity building.
EOSC MESH advances the federation of interoperable nodes within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), increasing capacity to share and reuse scientific data and services.
Finally, MARINERG-i_IMP seeks to accelerate the implementation phase of the distributed MARINERG-i infrastructure by enabling coordinated access to test facilities for marine renewable energy technologies (offshore wind, wave, tidal, and hybrid systems), with a focus on standards, governance, and operational sustainability.
The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is a Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) within Spain’s Map of Singular Scientific and Technical Facilities.
PLOCAN provides advanced ocean observation services, testing of marine technologies, and access to offshore research facilities. Its unique infrastructure includes a multipurpose offshore platform, deep-water observatories, and a fleet of autonomous underwater vehicles.
PLOCAN participa en redes internacionales de observación oceánica (EMSO ERIC, ICOS, JERICO, EMODnet) y colabora con instituciones científicas y sector privado a nivel global.
