ASSEMBLE Plus · Project

Access Europe's Marine Research Stations for Blue Economy R&D

environmentTestedTRL 5Thin data (2/5)

Imagine wanting to study sea creatures or test a marine product, but you'd need labs in Norway, Greece, and Portugal to cover all the ecosystems you care about. Building those yourself would cost a fortune. ASSEMBLE Plus opened the doors of 33 marine biological stations across Europe so any researcher or company can walk in, use world-class equipment, tap into historical ocean data, and run experiments — without owning a single lab. Think of it as a shared membership to Europe's best marine science facilities, plus online access to datasets and analysis tools from your desk.

By the numbers

Marine biological stations and institutes in the network

Countries represented in the consortium

Partner organizations in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

Industry partners including SMEs

European and associated countries covered (per objective)

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies in the blue economy — aquaculture, marine biotech, environmental consulting — need access to diverse marine ecosystems and specialized research equipment for product development and testing. Building or maintaining coastal research facilities across multiple climate zones is prohibitively expensive, and finding the right biological resources or historical ecosystem data across fragmented European institutions wastes months of R&D time.

The solution

What was built

A unified access network of 33 marine biological stations across Europe, delivering 62 project outputs including: underwater observation network data, gene expression and phenotypic databases accessible online, technical design specifications for experimental systems, a methodology toolbox with discussion forum, and virtual access platforms for remote data analysis. Both physical (transnational) and digital (virtual) access pathways were established.

Audience

Who needs this

Aquaculture companies developing new species, feeds, or disease treatmentsMarine biotech and pharmaceutical firms screening marine organisms for bioactive compoundsEnvironmental consulting firms conducting coastal impact assessmentsCosmetics companies sourcing marine-derived ingredientsOffshore energy companies needing marine environmental baseline data

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Aquaculture & Marine Biotechnology

SME

Target: Aquaculture companies or marine biotech startups developing new feeds, treatments, or breeding programs

If you are an aquaculture company struggling with disease outbreaks or feed optimization — this project built a network of 33 marine stations with experimental facilities and standardized workflows that let you run controlled trials across different marine ecosystems without investing in your own coastal labs. The underwater observation network data and gene expression databases can accelerate your R&D cycles significantly.

Pharmaceuticals & Cosmetics

mid-size

Target: Companies screening marine organisms for bioactive compounds

If you are a pharma or cosmetics firm looking for new bioactive compounds from marine organisms — ASSEMBLE Plus created virtual access to biological resource databases and gene expression pattern data across 33 stations spanning 14 countries. Instead of organizing expensive collection expeditions, you can screen candidates digitally first, then book transnational access to the station closest to your target species.

Environmental Consulting & Monitoring

any

Target: Environmental consulting firms conducting marine impact assessments or coastal monitoring

If you are an environmental consultancy needing baseline marine ecosystem data for impact assessments or monitoring programs — this project developed underwater observation network datasets, standardized methodology toolboxes, and interoperable protocols across 33 stations in 16 countries. These resources give you verified reference data and proven field methods without starting from scratch for each new coastal project.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does access to these marine stations actually cost a company?

Based on available project data, Transnational Access and Virtual Access were provided as part of the EU-funded program, meaning access was offered free of charge to eligible users during the project period (2017-2022). Now that the project has closed, access may be available through EMBRC (European Marine Biological Resource Centre) — likely on a fee-for-service basis, though specific pricing is not detailed in the project data.

Can a company use these facilities at industrial scale or is it just for small academic experiments?

The stations offer state-of-the-art experimental and analytical facilities with integrated workflows designed for both fundamental and applied research. However, these are research stations — not industrial production facilities. They are best suited for R&D-phase work: testing prototypes, screening biological resources, or validating concepts before scaling up in your own facilities.

Who owns the intellectual property from work done at these stations?

Based on available project data, IP arrangements are not explicitly detailed. Typically in EU Transnational Access programs, users retain IP from their own research conducted at the facilities. However, specific terms would need to be negotiated with the host station and EMBRC. Companies should clarify IP ownership before booking access.

Is the data and infrastructure still available now that the project ended in 2022?

The project was designed to feed into EMBRC, a permanent European research infrastructure on the ESFRI roadmap. The 33 marine stations continue to operate independently and through EMBRC. Virtual access resources — including underwater observation data, gene expression databases, and the methodology toolbox — were built to persist beyond the project's funding period.

How does this integrate with our existing marine R&D operations?

ASSEMBLE Plus developed interoperable protocols and standardized methodology toolboxes specifically to ensure consistency across all 33 stations. The virtual access platforms let you query data remotely before committing to on-site visits. This means you can plug into the network without overhauling your internal processes — just adopt the shared protocols for the work you do at partner stations.

What kind of regulatory or compliance support do the stations provide?

Based on available project data, the stations offer quality-assured programs with benchmarks for refined practices of service provision. The network covers 16 countries, and stations are experienced in navigating local regulations for marine biological sampling and experimentation. Specific regulatory guidance would depend on the host station and the nature of your work.

Can we get training for our R&D staff at these facilities?

Yes. The project objective explicitly mentions advanced training opportunities as part of the service offering. Networking activities were designed to engage novel user communities, which includes industry users. Training is delivered at the marine stations alongside hands-on access to facilities and equipment.

Consortium

Who built it

The ASSEMBLE Plus consortium of 32 partners across 16 countries is heavily research-oriented, with 17 research organizations and 11 universities forming the core — reflecting its nature as a research infrastructure project. Only 3 partners are from industry (9% ratio), all SMEs, which means the network was built primarily by and for the research community. For a business user, this means the science quality is high but you may need to be proactive about communicating commercial needs. The coordinator, Sorbonne Université in France, is a top-tier institution with strong marine biology credentials. The geographic spread across 16 countries gives excellent coverage of European marine ecosystems from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.

SORBONNE UNIVERSITECoordinator · FR
HELSINGIN YLIOPISTOparticipant · FI
UNIVERSITY OF GALWAYparticipant · IE
AQUA TT UETP COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEEparticipant · IE
THE SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION FOR MARINE SCIENCE LBGparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITEIT GENTthirdparty · BE
HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCHparticipant · EL
NACIONALNI INSTITUT ZA BIOLOGIJOparticipant · SI
STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRNparticipant · IT
THE UNIVERSITY COURT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWSparticipant · UK
MARINE SCOTLANDparticipant · UK
ALFRED-WEGENER-INSTITUT HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR POLAR- UND MEERESFORSCHUNGparticipant · DE
EUROPEAN MARINE BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE CENTRE EUROPEAN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE CONSORTIUMparticipant · FR
IMAR - INSTITUTO DO MARthirdparty · PT
UNIWERSYTET GDANSKIparticipant · PL
UNITED KINGDOM RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONparticipant · UK
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEthirdparty · IT
INSTYTUT OCEANOLOGII POLSKIEJ AKADEMII NAUKparticipant · PL
CENTRO DE CIENCIAS DO MAR DO ALGARVEparticipant · PT
CENTRO INTERDISCIPLINAR DE INVESTIGACAO MARINHA E AMBIENTALthirdparty · PT
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEMparticipant · IL
MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOMparticipant · UK
MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EVparticipant · DE
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSthirdparty · FR
VLAAMS INSTITUUT VOOR DE ZEEparticipant · BE
UNIVERSIDAD DEL PAIS VASCO/ EUSKAL HERRIKO UNIBERTSITATEAparticipant · ES
STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTENparticipant · NL
GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
UNIVERSITETET I BERGENparticipant · NO
UNIVERSIDAD DE VIGOthirdparty · ES

How to reach the team

Sorbonne Université (France) coordinates this network — contact their marine biology department or reach out through the EMBRC consortium for current access options.

Order a report on this consortium See SORBONNE UNIVERSITE profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to find out which of the 33 marine stations best fits your R&D needs? SciTransfer can match your specific requirements to the right facility and introduce you to the right people. Contact us for a free one-page brief.

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