In this Edition
- A Word from Our Coordinator
- AQUARIUS General Assembly
- Funding Call 2 Update
- AQUARIUS at EGU
- AQUARIUS Funded Projects Call 1
- Spotlight on an AQUARIUS Funded Project – Call 1
- AQUARIUS Policy Brief: Our Vision for the Future
- From Data to Knowledge: A Conversation with Dick Schaap (MARIS B.V.)
- AQUARIUS Training Opportunities
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 marked another important milestone for AQUARIUS, as the consortium gathered in Athens for our second General Assembly, kindly hosted by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR). This meeting provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on our progress and strengthen collaboration across partners.
We are also continuing the evaluation process for our Transnational Access Funding Call 2 (AQUARIUS Funding Call – Marine and Freshwater Infrastructure Access) and are pleased to share an update. At the same time, we are showcasing the impact of our first Call. Our newly released factsheet presents the funded projects and highlights the geographical reach and scientific diversity of the activities enabled through AQUARIUS.
Beyond access provision, AQUARIUS continues to contribute to the broader European research landscape. Our recent policy brief outlines a long-term vision for excellence in marine and freshwater research infrastructures, supporting key EU priorities including the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” and the European Ocean Pact.
Looking ahead, our focus remains on delivering impact, enabling access to state-of-the-art marine and freshwater research infrastructures, continuing our strong collaboration, and ensuring that the knowledge generated through AQUARIUS is accessible and usable for the wider community.
AQUARIUS partners gathered in Athens for the 2026 General Assembly, hosted by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), to reflect on progress and align on the next phase of the project. The meeting marked a key milestone, bringing together the consortium to review achievements, strengthen collaboration, and shape priorities for the years ahead.
The scientific evaluation phase has now been completed. Of the 37 eligible proposals, 25 have been recommended for funding. These proposals are currently undergoing logistical evaluation, in accordance with their scientific ranking and within the limits of the available budget. While some logistical assessments are taking longer than others, the AQUARIUS team will be in contact with all applicants as soon as possible.
Some successful proposals have already been scheduled due to time constraints in their intended research plans and their high ranking.
We appreciate your interest in and engagement with AQUARIUS. Stay tuned as we roll out the successful projects.
From 3-8 May, AQUARIUS was in Vienna for the European Geoscience Union General Assembly (EGU) 2026, the largest geosciences conference in Europe, bringing together around 20,000 scientists across ocean, Earth, planetary and space sciences.
At the AQUARIUS stand, the team presented the project’s work in providing transnational access to integrated marine and freshwater research infrastructures across Europe and engaged with researchers from across disciplines and sectors.
EGU 2026 also provided an opportunity to reconnect with members of the AQUARIUS community. The team was pleased to meet again with Tea Isler, participant in the AQUARIUS INFOMAR Seabed Mapping Programme, as well as representatives of STREAM-DANUBE, DEEP-IMPACT, and ROCK-IT, three of the 11 projects funded under the first AQUARIUS Call.
AQUARIUS also presented a poster led by Maris B.V on the Data flows from our Transnational Access projects presented by Aljaz’s Maslo (EMSO). The poster highlighted how Transnational Access teams are supported by experienced marine data centres throughout the data management process. AQUARIUS has adopted an open data policy and a dedicated data management approach to ensure that all metadata and data collected through the project are managed in line with the FAIR principles.
Check out our new factsheet presenting the results of the first AQUARIUS Call, detailing which projects received funded access to research infrastructures and where their research is taking place.
Funded under the first AQUARIUS Call, the BASEVOC project ran from April to September 2025 with the aim of enhancing understanding of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the marine atmosphere. Coordinated by the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Lund University, and GEOMAR, the project focused on the role of biologically derived trace gases in ocean–atmosphere interactions.
The AQUARIUS Policy Brief details the AQUARIUS project’s vision of excellence in marine and freshwater RIs, proposing a post-project future that will maintain AQUARIUS’ legacy and continue to support the Mission ‘Restore our Oceans and Waters’.
The AQUARIUS’ strategic vision is for a sustained European service to support marine and freshwater research infrastructures, and the excellent science they facilitate
Dick Schaap is the Managing Director at MARIS B.V., a company centrally involved in developing and operating marine and oceanographic data management services and networks across Europe. In AQUARIUS, Dick Schaap leads the work on data management and open science, helping researchers turn data into long-term value for science and society. With extensive experience in enabling access to and interoperability of ocean data, Dick plays a central role in AQUARIUS to ensure that the data generated through its transnational access activities are not only collected but also properly managed and shared to facilitate their reuse.
Applications are now open for the following 2026 activities:
PLOCAN Glider Summer School
Canary Islands, Spain – A practical course on glider operations and data workflows, taking place in September–October 2026.
More info
Marine and Freshwater Internships
Short-term placements across the AQUARIUS infrastructure network, published on a rolling basis as opportunities become available.
More info
Thank you for reading our first newsletter. If you have any comments of suggestion, please contact us at hello @aquarius-ri.eu.
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