In this Edition
- A Word from Our Coordinator
- Second Transnational Call for Access – Open!
- AQUARIUS Webinar: How to Apply to the Second AQUARIUS Funding Call?
- AQUARIUS Funded Projects – Call 1
- Call for Scientific Experts
- New Q&A with Bernadette Ní Chonghaile
- Marine and Freshwater Internships
- AQUARIUS Out and About
AQUARIUS is a Horizon Europe-funded project with the aim to provide access to a comprehensive and diverse suite of integrated research infrastructures to address challenges and explore opportunities for the long-term sustainability of our marine and freshwater ecosystems.
A Word from our Coordinator, Aodhán Fitzgerald
The past months have been a time of steady progress for AQUARIUS. Three projects funded through our first Transnational Access Funding Call are now underway, already making use of our research infrastructures and beginning their data collection campaigns. These projects were selected on the basis of scientific excellence and logistical feasibility and we warmly congratulate the teams as they set out on their work. Over the coming months you will be able to follow their progress and access their results through the AQUARIUS Dataflow Dashboard.
Meanwhile, our second AQUARIUS Funding Call – Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure Access – is open and welcoming applications from all research backgrounds, including industrial, academic, government and civil society communities. The call offers fully funded access to a wide range of marine and freshwater research infrastructures across Europe. We encourage potential applicants to take advantage of this opportunity.
To support applicants, we will host a webinar on 8 October at 10:00 CET to present the key updates to Call 2 and to give a live demonstration of the Transnational Access Platform (TAP).
In addition, AQUARIUS continues to seek scientific experts to support the evaluation of future proposals. If you are a researcher or specialist interested in contributing your expertise to this process, we invite you to submit your expression of interest via the Call for Scientific Experts on our website.
The coming months promise to be a busy and exciting time for AQUARIUS as we support the next wave of transnational access projects. We look forward to your applications and to seeing more innovative proposals take shape
With a budget of €4 million, the second AQUARIUS Transnational Access (TA) Funding Call is open! Apply by 28 October 2025. The Call provides researchers, industry, governmental and citizen science researchers with the opportunity to access world-class marine and freshwater research infrastructures free of charge.
Eligibility
AQUARIUS allows applications from all nationalities. However, access for user groups with a majority of users not working in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe associated
country is limited to 20% of the total amount of units of access provided by AQUARIUS.
Please spread the word among your own networks. It is a fantastic opportunity for scientists to access incredible research infrastructures and services that would otherwise cost hundreds of thousands of euros.
To support applicants, AQUARIUS is offering a webinar to inform participants about the updates to this Call’s eligibility criteria and give a demo of the Transnational Access Platform (TAP), the online tool where applications are submitted.
The TAP is a customised and user-friendly online platform that guides applicants through every stage from registration and proposal submission to reporting.
The webinar will take place on 8 October from 10:00 to 10:30 CET. The sessions will include new updates to the second AQUARIUS Funding Call, an introduction to the TAP, and conclude with a Q&A where participants can ask their questions.
Three projects funded through the first AQUARIUS Transnational Access Call are now under way. In the Black Sea, Stream-Danube is using the RV Mare Nigrum to study benthic and pelagic processes in the Danube River plume. Also in the Black Sea, ASTRA is investigating harmful algal blooms and their toxins aboard RV TÜBİTAK Marmara. In the Baltic Sea, BASEVOC is working at the Utö Marine and Atmospheric Research Station to reveal how volatile organic compounds influence the marine atmosphere. We will share further updates as these studies progress and as new AQUARIUS-funded projects begin their work.
AQUARIUS is building a diverse pool of scientific reviewers to evaluate proposals submitted to its second Transnational Access Funding Calls. We are inviting experienced scientists from fields related to the atmosphere, earth, marine and freshwater, to register in our expert database.
Join the AQUARIUS expert pool today, and help shape the future of collaborative environmental research.
Meet Bernadette Ní Chonghaile, the AQUARIUS Project Manager based at the Marine Institute in Ireland. With a background in marine operations and EU-funded transnational access projects, Bernadette plays a central role in coordinating activities across the consortium’s 45 partners. She helps ensure that researchers across Europe can benefit from free access to world-class marine and freshwater infrastructures.
We spoke with Bernadette about her role, the opportunities offered by AQUARIUS and why collaboration matters.
AQUARIUS offers an internship programme for early career scientists, technicians, PhD students, MSc students and post-docs working in marine and freshwater sciences.
The internships will take place with AQUARIUS funded projects that participate in the programme. In addition, opportunities will be sought for internships in projects organised by AQUARIUS partners outside the funded Transnational Access projects, where travel and subsistence costs will be supported (up to a maximum amount).
Interns will not conduct their own research but will have the opportunity to learn how international scientific teams work and how to utilize the research infrastructures available in AQUARIUS.
From Oceans 2025 and the ESA Living Planet Symposium to the ICES Annual Science Conference and the All-Atlantic Forum, our partners have been highlighting the opportunities offered through the Second AQUARIUS Transnational Access Funding Call at multiple events. These high-profile events have provided valuable platforms to connect with researchers, industry, policymakers and citizen scientists, ensuring wide visibility for the upcoming funding call and strengthening collaborations across marine and freshwater research communities.
AQUARIUS was also represented at the International Research Ship Operators annual meeting in Bergen, Norway, and at the Mission Ocean & Waters EU Presidency Conference in Nyborg, Denmark, further showcasing the call and highlighting AQUARIUS’ role in supporting transnational access.
Thank you for reading our first newsletter. If you have any comments of suggestion, please contact us at hello @aquarius-ri.eu.
If you have enjoyed learning about the AQUARIUS project, please help us spread the word and share the subscription link with your networks.
