Basque applied research centre specializing in sustainable fisheries, marine ecosystems, seafood innovation, and ocean observation.
AZTI is a Spanish applied research centre based in the Basque Country specializing in marine science, fisheries management, and food innovation. They develop decision-support tools for sustainable aquaculture and fishing, design ocean observation systems, and create value from seafood processing — from bio-based fertilizers to nutraceuticals. Their work bridges marine ecology with industry needs, helping fishing fleets reduce emissions, food producers ensure safety, and policymakers manage ocean resources based on real ecosystem data.
Core across DiscardLess, AquaSpace, SMARTFISH, MedAID, SEAwise, SUMMER, MEESO, ParaFishControl, SIFINS, and EuroSea — spanning gear technology, stock assessment, and ecosystem-based management.
Central to mesopelagic research (SUMMER, MEESO), climate-biodiversity modelling (FutureMARES), and Atlantic ecosystem mapping (MISSION ATLANTIC).
Long-term involvement in the JERICO series (JERICO-NEXT, JERICO-S3, JERICO-DS) and EuroSea, contributing to integrated European monitoring networks.
Recent projects WASEABI (seafood side-stream processing), SEA2LAND (fish-waste fertilizers), and SEAFOODTOMORROW (sustainable seafood products) show a clear new direction.
EU-China-Safe (food fraud and traceability), SMARTCHAIN (short food supply chains), and ParaFishControl (parasite diagnostics in farmed fish).
SUSTUNTECH (satellite data for sustainable tuna fishing), FORCOAST (Copernicus-based coastal services), and DataBio (data-driven bioeconomy) combine remote sensing with fisheries operations.
In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), AZTI focused on practical fisheries and aquaculture challenges — discard reduction, aquaculture spatial planning, offshore renewable energy risk, and invasive species management. From 2019 onward, their work shifted markedly toward deep-ocean ecosystems (mesopelagic biomass and biodiversity), circular economy approaches to seafood waste, and integrated ocean observation infrastructure. This evolution reflects a move from species-level and sector-specific problems toward ecosystem-scale thinking and resource valorization.
AZTI is moving toward mesopelagic resource science, seafood circular economy, and climate-adapted fisheries management — positioning them at the frontier of sustainable blue growth research.
AZTI operates primarily as an active consortium partner (24 of 28 projects), bringing specialized marine science capabilities into large European research networks. They have coordinated only twice — notably the SUMMER mesopelagic project (their largest at EUR 638K) — suggesting they prefer contributing deep technical expertise over managing consortia. With 470 unique partners across 43 countries, they are a highly connected hub, comfortable working in large multi-national teams and trusted across a wide European network.
AZTI has collaborated with 470 distinct partners across 43 countries, making them one of the most broadly networked marine research centres in H2020. Their partnerships span the full Atlantic and Mediterranean basin, with strong ties to Northern European oceanographic institutes and Southern European aquaculture hubs.
AZTI stands out for combining hands-on fisheries and aquaculture expertise with ecosystem-level science and emerging digital tools like satellite observation and machine learning. Unlike purely academic marine institutes, they maintain strong industry connections — working directly with fishing fleets, food producers, and coastal service providers. For consortium builders, AZTI brings a rare combination: credible science that translates into operational tools fishers and food companies can actually use.
