SARTI-UPC has joined EMSO EVOLVE – European VisiOn for long-term ocean observations and environmental sustainability, a new four-year Horizon Europe project coordinated by EMSO ERIC.

Launched on 1 September 2026, EMSO EVOLVE brings together 19 organisations from 10 European countries with the aim of preparing Europe’s ocean-observing infrastructure for the coming decade.

EMSO ERIC operates a distributed network of seafloor and water-column observatories across European seas and the open ocean. Through sustained observations from the seabed to the surface, the infrastructure supports research on climate and ocean variability, geohazards, biodiversity, and the deep-ocean carbon cycle.

EMSO EVOLVE will strengthen this infrastructure by moving towards basin-scale ocean observation, improving governance and interoperability, modernising its digital services, and further developing FAIR access to ocean data. The project will also reinforce links with European initiatives such as Copernicus, EMODnet and the Digital Twin of the Ocean, while establishing the EMSO Academy as a long-term capacity-building programme.

Within the project, SARTI-UPC will have a major role in the evolution of EMSO’s digital infrastructure. UPC leads Task 5.2 – Strategic Upgrade of the IT Infrastructure and will define the architecture and roadmap for the next generation of EMSO digital services.

The group will also contribute its experience in real-time ocean observing systems, FAIR data, semantic interoperability, underwater imaging, acoustics and AI, together with the operational capabilities of the OBSEA cabled underwater observatory, part of the EMSO Balearic Sea Regional Facility.

The project represents a new step in SARTI-UPC’s long-standing contribution to European marine research infrastructures and to the development of increasingly interoperable, intelligent and accessible ocean-observation systems.

More information

EMSO EVOLVE project launch announcement:
https://emso.eu/2026/09/01/emso-evolve-launch