Eurofleets+ significantly expanded access to research vessels, benefiting researchers, including early-stage and those from less equipped countries, through 28 funded cruises. The project offered access to a diverse fleet, including autonomous underwater vehicles and deep water remotely operated vehicles. Despite disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, 268 research days were implemented, increasing planned access by 6%.
The Transnational Access program, emphasizing collaboration, involved 315 project partners from various countries, fostering interactions and achieving project goals. The program funded nine Early Career Principal Investigators and facilitated new interactions between scientists. Eurofleets+ promoted integrated methodologies, enhancing research infrastructure and capacity building across Europe. Despite interoperability challenges, the project demonstrated cost-effective implementation, upskilling opportunities, and advancements in marine data management.
Joint Research Activities advanced the EARS system to TRL 7 delivering a common data acquisition system installed across the fleet for the first time. The design of a range of interoperable and portable tools for deep water research will allow smaller vessels to support new developments and efforts in deep water observation and deep-water research has the capacity to extend the capability of Regional Vessels into the future. The further advancement of autonomous capabilities for deep water survey and co-operation between underwater and surface autonomous vehicles will lead to a step change in the efficiency of deep water surveying capability.
Eurofleets+ planned organisational and technical evolution was centred on the collaborative pooling of expertise and knowledge from a wide group of developers, industry and operators. This unified approach not only facilitates the proposed evolution of an integrated Research Infrastructure but also enabled a significant scale-up in capacity building across Europe.
The Education and Training program provided unique opportunities for the next generation of scientists, offering state-of-the-art equipment training and contributing to building careers in Blue Growth. The program included Floating Universities, Blue Skills Labs, and a Marine Internship Programme, benefitting participants from 19 different nationalities.
The Eurofleets RI roadmap outlines plans from 2024 to 2029, with Phase I focusing on executive secretariat functions, fleet information portal management, European Training coordination, and a strategic working group.
Eurofleets+ emphasized the importance of integrated and harmonized access to European research vessels and equipment, supporting Ocean Health and Blue Growth. Stakeholder engagement, adherence to UN SDGs, and contributions to policy development demonstrated the project's commitment to addressing global challenges and supporting initiatives like the European Green Deal, Mission Ocean 2030, and the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership.
