+ATLANTIC ASSOCIACAO PARA UM LABORATORIO COLABORATIVO DO ATLANTICO

Their core work

+Atlantic is a Portuguese Collaborative Laboratory (CoLAB) based in Peniche — a working fishing port on the Atlantic coast — that bridges ocean science and maritime industries. They develop and deploy technologies for observing, monitoring, and managing the Atlantic Ocean, including sensors, autonomous samplers, and data systems for tracking marine variables. Beyond instrumentation, they work on translating ocean data into commercial and policy-relevant services, particularly for fisheries management and aquaculture. Their dual anchoring in both fundamental ocean observation (NAUTILOS) and applied fishing/aquaculture market services (NextOcean) positions them as a rare connector between marine research infrastructure and the blue economy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their initial H2020 engagement (NAUTILOS, 2020), +Atlantic was squarely focused on ocean observation infrastructure — sensors, samplers, essential ocean variables, and the science of tracking marine ecosystems and climate impacts. Their second project (NextOcean, 2021) marks a clear pivot toward applied commercial services: sustainable fishing, aquaculture, earth observation from Copernicus, and explicitly "new market" development. This is a deliberate and fast-moving shift from building the observation layer to monetizing it — consistent with the CoLAB model, which is specifically designed to accelerate the transfer from research to industry in Portugal.

+Atlantic is moving from ocean science instrumentation toward commercial blue economy services — future collaborations are likely to involve satellite data integration, fishing industry digital tools, and aquaculture market development rather than fundamental sensor R&D.

How they like to work

+Atlantic has not yet led an H2020 project, entering both projects as a supporting participant — once as a third party (NAUTILOS) and once as a funded partner (NextOcean). Their 37 unique consortium partners across 13 countries, despite only two projects, suggests they joined large, well-networked European consortia rather than small specialized teams. This indicates they are valued as a domain-specific Atlantic marine contributor within broader ocean science and blue economy networks, rather than as a project initiator.

Despite only two projects, +Atlantic has already touched 37 unique partners across 13 countries — a notably wide network for an organization of this size, reflecting participation in large EU ocean science consortia. Their Atlantic focus and Portuguese coastal location suggest particular connectivity with Iberian, French, and UK ocean research institutions.

What sets them apart

+Atlantic is one of very few Portuguese organizations operating as a CoLAB (Collaborative Laboratory) explicitly dedicated to the Atlantic, combining marine science expertise with a formal mandate to serve industry — making them unusually well-positioned for public-private ocean projects. Their base in Peniche gives them direct proximity to the Portuguese fishing industry, which is rare among research bodies and gives them grounded, operational knowledge that purely academic institutes lack. For consortium builders, they represent a bridge between EU ocean observation infrastructure (Copernicus, NAUTILOS-type programs) and the commercial fishing and aquaculture sector in southwestern Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NAUTILOS
  A large 2020-2025 Innovation Action developing low-cost underwater sensors and observation systems — +Atlantic's involvement as a third party signals specialist recognition by a major ocean technology consortium.
• NextOcean
  Their only funded participation (EUR 42,802) and the project where they pivoted to commercial fishing and aquaculture services using Copernicus earth observation data — the clearest signal of their blue economy market direction.