Objective
Plankton drives the ocean’s biological carbon pump, regulating climate and sustaining marine ecosystems. Yet its dynamics remain largely unobserved because current technologies cannot deliver continuous, high-frequency (hour, day), vertically integrated measurements. This observational gap limits our ability to understand and predict ocean services such as climate regulation. The ERC HOPE project demonstrated the feasibility of autonomous offshore monitoring, deploying a prototype integrating 12 instruments measuring >30 parameters hourly/daily. Over a 2-year deployment, the platform generated 10 TB of multidisciplinary data and performed ~600 vertical profiles. While scientifically successful, the platform remains technically complex with heterogeneous energy, data transmission, and network systems limiting scalable deployment. SMART-OCEAN addresses these bottlenecks by unifying energy systems, implementing redundant data transmission, and standardizing onboard networks, transforming HOPE into a replicable, decarbonized platform for persistent observations across the atmosphere-surface-deep ocean continuum. SMART-OCEAN combines a floating laboratory, protected underwater structure, renewable energy and an autonomous profiling cage, enabling multiple heavy sensors to operate at high frequency for months with real-time data transmission. By demonstrating a fully connected, scalable offshore platform, SMART-OCEAN enables new scientific discoveries and supports climate and weather forecasting while delivering operational monitoring services for environmental agencies, marine managers, and industry. Serving as a next-generation “living laboratory,” it bridges public and private sectors, supports ecosystem research, evidence-based management, and testing of new technologies.Looking forward, SMART-OCEAN lays the foundation for a network of intelligent, interconnected platforms, enabling scalable ocean observation and long-term environmental services for diverse end users.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2026-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
13572 Marseille
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.