Networking with other European-funded projects is crucial for the OCEAN CITIZEN consortium. A significant effort is dedicated to connect with similar projects and teams to exchange ideas and best practices, identify synergies, and maximize efficiency. In this inaugural newsletter, our Coordinator, Dr. Sergio Rossi, had the opportunity to meet the coordinator of ANERIS (www.aneris.eu) and OCEAN CITIZEN partners participated in several PREP4BLUE webinars (www.prep4blue.eu).
Last May, the OCEAN CITIZEN Coordinator, Dr. Sergio Rossi, together with ANERIS coordinators, another Horizon Europe Project, met at the ICM-CSIC to establish shared frameworks for future collaborative activities. As a result of this meeting both projects have established a collaboration aimed at exploring opportunities for scientific, societal, and technological collaboration to effectively achieve their goals.
Positive synergies were found in tasks related to monitoring and evaluation of benthic macrofauna regeneration sites, mainly using innovative tools and technologies related to the Operational Marine Biology concept (OBM).
Beyond these promising synergies, the ANERIS and OCEAN CITIZEN projects extend their collaborative vision towards stakeholder engagement through citizen science. ANERIS’s focus on developing participatory platforms and citizen science technologies aligns seamlessly with the core aspects of the OCEAN CITIZEN project.
OCEAN CITIZEN joins PREP4BLUE Webinars
As part of their networking efforts and strong commitment to seeking synergies with other European projects, UGI and SUBMON, partners of the OCEAN CITIZEN project, actively took part in a webinar series titled “Planning for Citizen Participation in Mission Ocean & Waters” organized by the Horizon Europe project PREP4BLUE. With over 500 registered participants, the series was a great way to launch the first of many webinars planned within the PREP4BLUE project.
The main goal of PREP4BLUE is to help the Mission’s first phase (2022-2025) succeed by creating and implementing research and innovation methods. These methods are instrumental in achieving the Mission’s objectives and preparing for involving citizens and stakeholders. To achieve this, PREP4BLUE will provide various tools, guidelines, and recommendations that have been tested through pilot programs, thus connecting, and enhancing activities among the projects funded under the Mission.
During the webinars, participants focused on citizen involvement in the EU Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030. The series consisted of four one-hour sessions aimed at helping participants align their activities with the EU Mission’s citizen engagement target to restore our ocean and waters by 2030. The webinars provided practical guidance and additional resources to support meaningful citizen involvement. More information as well as the recording of the sessions can be found here.
