A great success for the EMSO Strategic Workshop, held in Rome on March 11-13. Drawing over 150 participants both in-person and online, this pivotal event for our Research Infrastructure served as a crucial platform for addressing the need for enhancing collaborations and strategic planning. The diverse attendance underscored EMSO’s international reach, with representatives from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Georgia, Canada, United States of America, contributing to the discussions.
The workshop was in fact designed for discussing and implementing the strategic direction of EMSO ERIC, bringing together leading researchers, key players from international organisations, research institutions, and technology companies.
Thematic sessions on the EMSO scientific and operational strategy, on potential new Members, roundtables with Research Infrastructures and private companies representatives on innovation and services, as well as six insightful keynote speeches coming from prominent international experts, promoted fruitful discussions aimed to enhance the mission and vision of the ERIC.
The EMSO Director General Ingrid Puillat opened the event, emphasising the importance of collaborative innovation and the evolving scientific strategy in ocean observations, underlying EMSO’s commitment to address regional and global challenges.
The EMSO Strategic Workshop’s opening day, chaired by Alberto Basset (LifeWatch ERIC) and Rick Donselaar (Delft University of Technology), addressed EMSO’s Key Scientific Questions. Presentations from European partner Regional Facilities were followed by collaborative sessions exploring strategies to improve observational capabilities. The day also featured insightful keynote speeches from Nicolas Pade (EMBRC-ERIC) on the EMBRC EMO BON and its applications, and Marina Tonani (Mercator Ocean International) discussing the Copernicus Marine Service’s role in the Digital Twin Ocean.
Innovation, data and new potential partnerships with the private sector took centre stage on the second day of the EMSO workshop, chaired by Laurent Delauney (Ifremer/JERICO) and Yann-Hervé de Roeck (Euro-Argo). Keynote speakers Eckhard Bruckschen (IOEMA Fibre Limited) & Antoine Queval (Alcatel Submarine Network) highlighted scientific uses of submarine cables, while Dick M.A. Schaap (MARIS) addressed European marine data management. Key topics presented and discussed by the ERIC representatives included next steps for the EMSO Generic Instrument Module (EGIM), strategies for enhancing the Physical Access service, as well as the critical needs for calibration facilities and the establishment of best practices. Collaboration with the private sector was a key theme of the concluding roundtable, moderated by Alfredo Martins (INESC TEC), showcasing their innovative solutions in marine observation.
The final day of the EMSO Strategic Workshop, guided by chairs Vito Vitale (CNR-ISP), Jean-Marie Flaud (MESR), and Jorge Miguel Alberto de Miranda (AIR Centre), focused on the future of EMSO’s Service Provision and Consortium expansion. Sessions explored the current state and future of EMSO’s data, access, and communication services. Two key roundtables fostered collaboration among European Research Infrastructures. Keynotes from Elisabetta Marafioti (University of Milano-Bicocca) addressed RI service provision value, and Barbara Bulgarelli (European Commission JRC) discussed ocean color validation. The workshop concluded with presentations from potential new EMSO ERIC members, Turkey and Ukraine.
To explore more: https://emso.eu/emso-eric-strategic-workshop-2/