The Iliad project successfully delivered a comprehensive framework for Digital Twins of the Ocean, integrating high-resolution modelling, observation data, and advanced analytics into a user-oriented platform. A dedicated Ocean Interoperability Data Space was created, ensuring seamless access to 65 datasets and 17 APIs under recognised standards, with innovative formats enabling real-time streaming and long-term usability. Data integration combined observatory and repository sources with novel low-cost sensors, drones, gliders, drifters, and specialised instruments deployed across 24 pilot sites, strengthening Europe’s marine data ecosystem. Citizen engagement was a core element, with more than 1,200 initiatives catalogued, over 20 apps and tools developed, and innovative approaches such as training, hackathons, and gamification boosting participation, standardisation, and integration of citizen-generated data.
The project co-created 27 models and 22 pilot twins spanning domains from fisheries and aquaculture to biodiversity, renewable energy, and harbour safety, all validated in real-world settings. These were supported by advanced modelling and analytics services, including data assimilation, surrogate modelling, AI-driven event detection, and visual analytics, integrated into intuitive dashboards, immersive VR applications, and tools such as GeoViz and Procedural Ocean. A marketplace was established as the flagship entry point, hosting over 100 products with 315 active users and more than 2,100 click-throughs, complemented by the Iliad Academy (14 courses, 70+ webinars, 30 tools), Policy Toolkits, and the BlueTech Transfer platform, which links research and innovation to funding, incubation, and market networks.
Demonstrations confirmed strong decision-support value, with more than 80% of pilots successfully showcasing operational “what-if” scenarios. Engagement with policymakers, industry, and international organisations aligned the DTOs with the Green Deal, DestinE, MSFD, and the Ocean Pact, supported by dedicated toolkits, guidebooks, and measurable policy impacts such as fuel and emissions reductions in pilot cases. Dissemination and communication activities exceeded targets, with the website reaching 95,000 views, over 1,000 social media posts, 76 events, 7 webinars, 3 hackathons, and 292 scientific outputs published, including 78 conference papers, 54 journal articles, and 41 open datasets. The flagship Iliad Symposium at OCEANS 2025 in Brest further amplified results through 7 sessions, 25+ presentations, live demos, and international policy dialogues.
Industry partners actively co-developed 22 use cases into DTO-based solutions, supported by exploitation plans, business models, legal guidance, and a roadmap to TRL9, ensuring a clear pathway to market uptake. Intellectual property, data governance, and regulatory frameworks were addressed to secure trust and compliance. Collectively, Iliad has established a lasting ecosystem of innovation, collaboration, and exploitation, positioning Digital Twins of the Ocean as powerful instruments for science, policy, and industry, with impact and benefits extending well beyond the project’s lifetime.
