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 Yasser Omar (IST – University of Lisbon)
On June 5th, always at 1-2 PM UTC, we will meet Yasser Omar, Professor at Instituto Superior Tecnico, University of Lisbon. He will present LEA – Listening to the Earth under the Atlantic, a pioneering project aiming at developing real-time sensing at the bottom of the Atlantic, namely to monitor the oceanic environment and its relation to climate change, as well as to sense submarine earthquakes live, opening way to novel and more reliable solutions for the early-warning of tsunamis, civil protection, and coastal resilience. The session will be moderated by Jose Barros, Director of External Affairs of ANACOM, which is the Portuguese National Regulatory Authority for communications.
Networking Friday with Olivia Oliveira (IGEO / UFBA)
In the last session of the month of May, on the 29th, always at 1-2 PM UTC, we went back to Brazil, this time to Salvador, Bahia, to listen to Olivia Oliveira, Director of IGEO, and her colleagues from UFBA, Antonio Fernando de Souza Queiroz and Icaro Thiago Andrade Moreira. They presented current research programmes and flagship projects developed at IGEO. Samuel Djavidnia, from GEO Blue Planet Initiative was the moderator of this session. This session will be conducted in Portuguese Language with Remote Simultaneous Interpretation to English.
Networking Friday with Isabel Sousa Pinto (CIIMAR / GEO MBON)
On May 22nd, 1-2 PM UTC, we will have Isabel Sousa Pinto (CIIMAR – GEO MBON) presenting CIIMAR’s most interesting projects and also showing how GEO MBON is helping us to understand how and why life in the ocean is changing and how local changes relate to changes taking place over larger regions. This session will be moderated by Sheila Heymans (European Marine Board / EOOS)