Researchers from academia and industry are invited to apply to the AQUASERV Transnational Access programme to access state-of-the-art scientific facilities, technologies and services to develop research projects in sustainable aquaculture, fisheries, ecological restoration and blue biotechnology.
AQUASERV, a project funded by the Horizon Europe programme to the tune of 14.5 million euros, announces the launch of a transnational access call with 8.5 million euros to fund and support researchers from academia and industry in Europe and around the world over the next 4 years. This programme offers access to an advanced network of leading European research facilities with state-of-the-art technologies and services and marks a significant step forward in promoting innovative scientific breakthroughs by supporting ground-breaking marine and freshwater scientific research in sustainable aquaculture, fisheries, ecological restoration, blue biotechnology and related fields.
The call runs from 15 November 2024 to December 2028, giving researchers ample opportunity to access the AQUASERV network. The programme offers access to state-of-the-art facilities in 40 institutions and 70 facilities in 16 European countries, covering the Baltic Sea, the North-East Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and inland waters. It aims to contribute to the Common European Fisheries Policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the Sustainable Blue Economy, the European Green Deal, and the EU Mission ‘Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030’.
‘This initiative is unique in offering free access to the main European research infrastructures and research institutions in this field, such as EMBRC ERIC, AnaEE ERIC, Metrofood, Aquaexcel 3.0, RISIS and ICES. This programme provides the flexibility needed to design research projects that explore new ideas or consolidate old ones, bringing new perspectives while contributing to European policy priorities,’ said Adelino Canário, Coordinator of AQUASERV, Director of CCMAR and Professor at the University of the Algarve.
AQUASERV's services include access to laboratories, experimental facilities, state-of-the-art technological platforms, different ecosystems, and a wide variety of marine biological resources, biobanks, and databases. The project supports researchers in carrying out their research in the network of AQUASERV institutions across Europe, as long as they are in a country other than the researcher's country of affiliation.
Portugal is represented in AQUASERV by the coordinator Centro de Ciências do Mar do Algarve (CCMAR), Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR) and Universidade de Coimbra (ACOI), all representing the EMBRC Portugal infrastructure, and by Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) and Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr Ricardo Jorge (INSA) representing the Metrofood infrastructure.
CCMAR is the project’s coordinator and assumes responsibility for communication, open science, data management, and service customisation. Through AQUASERV, we offer advanced services for research in aquaculture, biotechnology, environment and fisheries. Services include access to:
- Platforms equipped with state-of-the-art equipment for chemical and structural analyses, bioimaging, biological assays and molecular biology;
- Tanks for tailored experimental designs for aquatic production systems such as our Ramalhete Marine Station (flow-through), LEOA (closed circuit) and a semi-industrial photobioreactor park;
- Boats up to 12 m fully equipped for research in the coastal área,
- Scientific diving supported by a fully certified diving team for sample collection, underwater experimentation, underwater video, and photography.
- Telemetry supported by a permanent network of acoustic receivers located along the coast of the Algarve and Arrábida.
For detailed information, visit the AQUASERV website.
