STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN

Their core work

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn is a historic marine biology research centre based in Naples, Italy, operating as one of Europe's key marine biological stations. They study marine ecosystems — from developmental biology and evolutionary genomics of marine organisms to ocean observation, environmental monitoring, and the sustainable use of marine biological resources. Their work spans fundamental research on how marine life evolves and responds to stressors (ocean acidification, microplastics, climate change) through to applied research on marine biodiscovery, biosurfactants, and ocean sensing technologies. They also serve as a core node in European marine research infrastructure, providing access to experimental facilities and biological resources for the wider research community.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), the station focused heavily on building and connecting research infrastructure — joining clusters like EMBRIC, CORBEL, and ASSEMBLE Plus — while pursuing fundamental marine biodiscovery and studying ocean acidification impacts. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward operational ocean science: large-scale ocean observation systems (EuroSea, AtlantECO), sensing technologies (TechOceanS), and applied environmental challenges like microplastic toxicology (MICRODEV). There is a clear evolution from infrastructure-building and basic marine biology toward ecosystem-scale monitoring, environmental impact assessment, and translating marine research into blue economy applications.

They are moving from being a research infrastructure node toward becoming an active contributor to operational ocean monitoring and marine environmental risk assessment — a valuable direction for anyone working on blue economy, ocean health, or marine pollution topics.

How they like to work

Predominantly a consortium partner (12 of 15 projects) rather than a leader, though their 3 coordinated projects show growing ambition in areas where they have deep expertise — ocean vulnerability, ecosystem assessment, and ecotoxicology. With 201 unique partners across 27 countries, they operate as a well-connected hub in European marine science, comfortable in both large infrastructure consortia (10+ partners) and focused research teams. This makes them a low-risk, high-reliability partner: experienced in multi-national collaboration, able to contribute substantial marine biology capabilities without requiring the lead role.

An exceptionally well-networked institution with 201 unique consortium partners spanning 27 countries, placing them at the centre of European marine research. Their network covers the full Atlantic and Mediterranean research landscape, with strong ties to marine biological stations, oceanographic institutes, and life-science research infrastructures across Europe.

What sets them apart

As one of the oldest marine biological research stations in the world (founded 1872), they combine deep taxonomic and biological expertise with modern genomics, sensor technologies, and ecosystem modelling — a rare combination. Their dual strength in marine research infrastructure (providing access to facilities, organisms, and data) and active environmental research (ocean observation, pollution impacts) makes them a two-in-one partner: they bring both the tools and the science. For consortium builders, they offer an established Naples-based marine field station with direct Mediterranean access, extensive biological collections, and a proven track record of delivering in EU projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASSEMBLE Plus
  Their largest single project (EUR 1.1M) — a flagship infrastructure action connecting European marine biological labs and providing transnational access to research facilities.
• AtlantECO
  Coordinated by SZN with EUR 639K funding, this Atlantic-scale ecosystem assessment project marks their largest leadership role and signals their ambition in operational ocean science.
• MICRODEV
  A self-coordinated MSCA fellowship combining microplastics ecotoxicology with developmental biology — demonstrates their ability to lead focused, interdisciplinary environmental research.