Following Blue Tech Europe 2026 in Paris, leading actors from across the European blue tech ecosystem have published a joint set of policy recommendations for scaling ocean observation technologies in Europe.
Organised by MARCO-BOLO, TRICUSO, OBAMA-NEXT, BioGeoSea, EMBRC-ERIC, and SOOP, the conference brought together researchers, industry representatives, policymakers, and marine observation experts to discuss the future of European ocean observing systems and marine innovation.
SOOP actively contributed to the programme: Toste Tanhua chaired Session 4 on “Industry and society as drivers of ocean observation”, while Jessica Gier participated as speaker and panelist, sharing perspectives on collaboration, innovation transfer, and sustainable ocean observing systems.
A key outcome of the conference was the joint paper “Policy Recommendations for Scaling Blue Technologies for Ocean Observation in Europe”, developed collaboratively with contributions from conference participants. The document outlines concrete recommendations for the European Commission and Member States to strengthen Europe’s position in ocean observation and marine technology.
The paper also highlights the importance of long-term operational support for ocean observing systems, stronger collaboration between academia and industry, and the integration of emerging technologies such as AI, autonomous platforms, and advanced sensor systems into European monitoring infrastructures.
Blue Tech Europe 2026 demonstrated the importance of connecting science, industry, policy, and society to strengthen Europe’s marine technology landscape and accelerate the transition from innovation to impact.
Click on the button below to download the document:
