The Horizon project AMRIT is on track to make waves in European marine research, as it accelerates its efforts to consolidate European Research Infrastructures and strengthen Ocean Observing activities. With a commitment of over €5 million from the European Union, AMRIT unites 26 leading European institutions to enhance the development of the European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) and improve the monitoring of oceanic operations. Focused on fostering synergies, enhancing efficiency, and promoting knowledge-sharing, the AMRIT initiative aims to create integrated services and tools for monitoring ocean observing system operators and supporting governance structures.

The AMRIT project promises to be a game-changer for ocean research, providing essential tools to support operators and facilitate monitoring activities. These tools will range, for example, from parameterising buoyancy and creating JSON files for glider deployments to delivering standardized CTD (conductivity, temperature, and depth) cast files. Additionally, a mobile application is being developed to assist operators working in the field. The tools will feature reusable components—such as development bricks, widgets, and modules—that can be adapted to various national contexts and will be continuously improved, even after the AMRIT project concludes. At the core of AMRIT’s innovation will be the EOOS TSC ecosystem, which will be centered around a cutting-edge dashboard displaying real-time operational data. This digital ecosystem will streamline metadata flow, automate information exchange, and elevate the operational capacity of EOOS, ultimately advancing Europe’s ability to monitor and safeguard its oceans.

The project made a significant step forward this last November, marking the beginning of its IT developments, which are set to unfold over the next 42 months. In Liverpool, a dynamic team of developers and product owners gathered to lay the foundation for the project’s technological advancements.  The project team is adopting the SCRUM Agile methodology, which will drive collaborative development in “sprints” over the coming months. These focused work periods allow for continuous integration and improvement, with developers collaborating across different specialties. The first two-week sprint centered on building a community-sharing platform, refining tool specifications, and cultivating a strong team culture.

The significance of these IT advancements, especially in the context of global ocean observation, could be profound. Mathieu Belbéoch (WMO), the leader of AMRIT’s technical work packages, is confident that the project is on the right path, citing the enthusiasm and talent of the next generation of IT developers. Belbéoch emphasizes that the collaboration between developers and ocean observing experts is the key to ensuring that the final products meet the operational needs of users.

As the project progresses, AMRIT is welcoming participation from those who are eager to contribute to its development. The collaborative spirit of the initiative promises to foster lasting partnerships and create a sustainable legacy in the world of ocean research and observation.

In the coming months, expect to hear much more about this ground-breaking project as it begins to take shape and significantly impacts the future of European marine research.

If you have any questions, please email amrit@marine.ie, and we will be happy to answer them.

ATMO-ACCESS project is proud to share the Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) titled “Atmospheric Research Infrastructures: Sharing the future of our atmosphere” will start on January 20th, 2025.

This two-week course focuses on how atmospheric Research Infrastructures (RIs) support high-level research and inform political decisions for the benefit of society:

• In the first week, you will learn about atmospheric constituents, their sources and impacts, and their complex interactions. You will understand the importance of sharing data and building robust networks between research communities.
• During the second week, you will explore different ways to monitor the atmosphere through 3 RIs: ACTRIS, the Aerosol, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure; IAGOS, the In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System; and ICOS, the Integrated Carbon Observation System.

The course is free and open to everyone with basic knowledge in general chemistry and an undergraduate level in science. It will be held in English with subtitles available in English, French, Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, and German.

Registration for the MOOC in now open on the France Universite Numerique (FUN) course platform.

Additional information about the MOOC is available on the ATMO ACCESS website.

The ENVRINNOV project is excited to introduce the “ENVRI Innovation Resources Toolbox”, an essential component of a new section to be established on the ENVRI-HUB on “Innovation Resources for the ENVRI community”.

The Toolbox will offer open access to tools and resources to support innovation activities for, and by, the ENVRI community. It aims to provide tailored guidelines, templates, and best practices that will help ENVRIs navigate the entire innovation process. This includes generating ideas for new products or services, technology development, technology transfer and commercialization. It will also provide resources to build partnerships for innovation with stakeholders outside the ENVRI community and focus on enhancing collaboration with industry.

The aim is for the toolbox to be used by ENVRI community members across different roles, in RIs and RPOs. For instance, those who work in the development or adoption of new technologies and services or participate in innovation projects. Innovation policy and collaboration resources may also benefit RI Head Office management and administration, along with those involved in external engagement e.g. Industrial Liaison Officers (ILOs), Industrial Contact Officers (ICOs), and Outreach Officers.

To ensure that the contents of the toolbox meet the diverse needs of all ENVRI stakeholders, it is being designed through a bottom-up approach. The initial version of the toolbox is being developed by the ENVRINNOV consortium, which includes RIs from all four ENVRI subdomains at varying maturity levels. The toolbox will then be refined through a call for feedback and input from the wider community.

Once launched on the ENVRI-HUB, the Toolbox, complemented by additional Innovation supporting features such as the ENVRI Innovation Training Program (currently under development), will serve as an essential platform for fostering innovation by, and for, the ENVRI community.

Toolbox Contents

The first preliminary draft of the ENVRI Innovation toolbox has been recently developed by the ENVRINNOV consortium. It is currently an offline iteration, that will be developed further and digitalized on the ENVRI-HUB. More details about the toolbox here.

Its preliminary content structure is summarized below.

1. Collaboration tools: Resources to support the facilitation of collaborations with different types of stakeholders for innovation purposes, such as:

• • • Collaboration Checklist: a practical tool with critical steps to consider towards a successful collaboration (e.g. needs assessment, identification of stakeholders, collaboration agreements).
    • Collaboration canvas: a practical tool to be used at the stage of initial engagement with partners to help define the what, who, and how of the collaboration.
    • Networking Tools: including a list of events, conferences, web tools for networking, partners’ search and outreach (pan-European, per domain, per technology sector).
    • Funding opportunities: relevant to specific collaboration models (e.g. per TRL level, Public-private partnerships, etc.).
    • Agreement templates: Collaboration and confidentiality agreements templates and guides, such as Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA), Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and Data or material transfer agreements.
    • Success stories: compilation of collaboration success stories from across the ENVRI community to highlight and demonstrate the positive impact ENVRIs had in different sectors.
    • Innovation self-assessment and step-guide tool: A practical tool that will assist RIs in initiating and planning new collaborations with partners (RIs/RPOs, companies, governmental bodies) based on the technology or service need, and considering critical points for success (TRL level, development needs, agreements/contacts needs, disclosure and IP protection needs, etc).
    • Innovation collaboration model’s matrix: A summary of collaboration models that could occur with and within the ENVRI community. Identifying the most relevant model of collaboration can help accelerate a successful innovation process and facilitate an efficient business plan. It can also assist in considering the different stakeholders that ENVRIs could collaborate with on matters of innovation, and the end users of their results. The outline can be shown in this table here.

2. Technology Development tools: Resources supporting the Technology Development process, such as:

• • • Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) assessment tool. The TRL is a necessary assessment for a specific technology in any innovation process stage, whether you are looking for funding, looking to initiate a co-development partnership, planning further technology development or want to assess your ready-to-market product.
    • Technology Development case studies: from across the ENVRI community, to highlight success stories and best practices. An open call to gather input from across the ENVRI community will be issued as part of the ENVRINNOV project.

3. Technology Transfer Tools: Resources to support commercialization or other type of Technology Transfer, and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Management, including:

• • • Introduction to Technology Transfer (web resources, guidelines).
    • Agreement templates (collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, data transfer agreements, website resources, guidelines).
    • Introduction to IPR Basics (web resources, available online webinars, guidelines).
    • IPR Management (web resources, available online webinars, guidelines).
    • IP in Open Science and Open Innovation guidelines.

4. Additional Resources: relevant to Innovation Support, such as:

• • • Digital innovation platforms and toolboxes by other European and global clusters.
    • Labels and standards: relevant certifications that may enhance trustworthiness to boost collaborations and marketability and facilitate commercialization.

Get Involved!

Are you interested in getting involved in the development of innovation resources for the ENVRI community? Join the ENVRINNOV project mailing list, by signing up here.

In the coming months, we will issue calls of interest for individuals interested in testing the first digital version of the Innovation Resources Toolbox, and/or to participate in the Innovation Training Program developed by the ENVRINNOV project. Make sure you’re in the know by joining our mailing list.

About the ENVRINNOV project

The ENVRI Innovation Resources Toolbox initiative is part of the ENVRINNOV project. ENVRINNOV is working towards co-designing, testing, and validating an Innovation Roadmap for the ENVRI community. This roadmap will set a pathway to establish and operate an ENVRI Innovation Hub (EIH), that will support the development of advanced technologies and services.

The ENVRINNOV project was motivated by the “ESFRI Strategy Working Group on the Environment” Landscape Analysis which highlights the need for coordinated innovation to address current and future technological gaps in the environmental domain. It also considers needs identified in previous ENVRI-cluster initiatives (ENVRI-FAIR, ENVRI PLUS), ENVRINNOV will address these by establishing the EIH, a centralized platform to drive innovation across the entire ENVRI community. For more information, visit the ENVRINNOV project webpage.

Contact

ENVRINNOV Project coordinators: Marina Papageorgiou (m.papageorgiou@cyi.ac.cy), and Jean Sciare  (j.sciare@cyi.ac.cy), or for the Innovation Resources Toolbox task: Maria Prantsidou (m.prantsidou@cyi.ac.cy)

This news item was developed in alignment with ENVRINNOV Milestone MS3.1: Innovation Resources Toolbox (First Version) (M9). The ENVRINNOV project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement no 101131426. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.