The registration is now open for the anticipated All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum 2025, hosted by the European Union on September 25-26 in Brussels.
The AAORIA unites countries across the Atlantic basin – from Europe, Africa, North and South America, to both polar regions – to advance marine research and innovation through collaborative efforts. This unique alliance continues to strengthen international cooperation in implementing the Galway and Belém Statements while addressing the priorities outlined in the All-Atlantic Declaration.
This year’s Forum holds particular significance as the EU’s chairmanship agenda aligns strategically with both the EU’s Atlantic Strategy and the ambitious EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’. The event will serve as a critical platform to showcase achievements in implementing the AAORIA Declaration and advance cooperation across all agreed partnership areas.
A key focus of the Forum will be promoting activities that transfer scientific knowledge and solutions to local communities along the Atlantic coastline. The upcoming network of Atlantic Beacon Sites- demonstration sites for coastal resilience – will be highlighted as a model for cooperation among inter-linked policy areas based on scientific results. Additionally, the Forum will further the Atlantic inter-generational dialogue through an innovative Blue Intergenerational Programme.
The AAORIA Forum represents a unique opportunity to connect the Atlantic research community with policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society. By bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the Atlantic, it can accelerate knowledge exchange and develop more effective, coordinated approaches to ocean challenges.
Attendance is free, but spaces are limited with registration accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The organizers strongly encourage early registration, particularly for participants requiring invitation letters for visa purposes.
In keeping with AAORIA’s commitment to accessibility, the Forum will also be web-streamed, with recordings made available on the AAORIA website following the event.
To register, please visit the following webpage: https://bit.ly/4m7Uda4
More information on the event will be shared soon.
Networking Friday with Paolo Corradi (ESA)
On July 3rd, 1-2 PM UTC, Paolo Corradi, ESA – European Space Agency, introduced the topic of marine plastic pollution and how remote sensing could contribute to solve what has become one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time. The results achieved in the frame of the ESA activities on remote sensing of plastic marine litter will be reported. The presentation concluded by introducing the recent ESA Open Space Innovation Platform – OSIP campaign of ideas, which will fund a significant number of novel projects aiming at advancing the research towards a reliable detection of marine plastic accumulations from space. The session will be moderated by Kostantinos Topouzelis, expert in Marine Remote Sensing, University of the Aegean, Greece.
Networking Friday Special Thematic Session on Sensors with Matthew Mowlem (NOC), Frank Muller-Karger (USF / GEO MBON), Eric Delory (PLOCAN), and Marcelo Pias (FURG)
Continuing with the Networking Fridays series, on June 26th, 1-3 PM UTC we had our first 2-hour long Thematic Special Session, which takes place every last Friday of the month. This first session focused on Sensors and we had a fantastic group of speakers: Matthew Mowlen (NOC, UK), Frank Muller-Karger (USF / GEO MBON, USA), Eric Delory (PLOCAN, Spain) and Marcelo Pias (FURG, Brazil). The moderator will be Elisa Ravagnan (NORCE, Norway).
Networking Friday with Suleiman Sadiku (FUTMINNA, Nigeria)
On June 19th, 1-2 PM UTC, we met Suleiman Sadiku, Professor at FUTMINNA – Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria. The title of his presentation is “Towards a Viable Blue Economy for Sustainable Development: Floating Aquafeed and Allied Advances in Research and Development – The Case of Nigeria”. The session was moderated by Asma Ibrahim, acting Director of the AIR Center | Nigeria and former Deputy Director and head of the Climate Change Division at NASRDA – Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency.