OCEANITY

 

OCEANITY - Actionable DTO applications for wide policy, industry and civil society decision making

Funding Authority: European Union (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency - CINEA)

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation

Implementation Period: 01.09.2026 - 31.08.2029

Coordinator: Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC)

Partners: SOCIB; Deltares; HEREON; Fugro; NERSC; LNEC; National Oceanography Centre (NOC); University of Bologna (UNIBO); Mercator Ocean International (MOI); TNO; SAR; Trust-IT Services; COMMpla; Lobelia Earth; Marine Cluster Bulgaria (MCB), and others.

OCEANITY builds upon the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EDITO), transforming complex mathematical and oceanographic simulation models into practical, accessible digital decision-support tools for public authorities, coastal municipalities, industry, and academia.

The project has three main pillars, developing, demonstrating, and validating Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) applications across three key domains:

-          Coastal & Urban Resilience: Simulating Nature-Based Solutions (NbS), addressing coastal erosion, managing flood risks, and enhancing resilience against severe storms.

-          Marine Spatial Planning: Delivering tools for the balanced, sustainable management of marine spaces, protected areas, and coastal resources.

-          Sustainable Maritime Operations: Supporting green, safe maritime and port operations, traffic safety, and pollution response.

Role of Marine Cluster Bulgaria (MCB)

Marine Cluster Bulgaria plays a key leadership role in the OCEANITY project, co-leading the processes of co-design, testing, and practical deployment of innovations. The organization coordinates pilot activities for coastal resilience in the Varna – Burgas – Danube Delta (North-Western Black Sea) region.

Through a structured dialogue with key regional stakeholders, Marine Cluster Bulgaria transforms local needs into precise requirements for software developers. The focus is on creating practical applications for Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) that simulate nature-based solutions to protect the coastline from erosion, extreme storms, and flooding.

 As the lead partner for external technology transfer, the organization ensures the adoption and scale-up of the developed digital tools beyond the project consortium. To this end, Marine Cluster Bulgaria is establishing and managing a specialized advisory support center (Helpdesk), delivering practical training, and organizing a pan-European hackathon to develop new innovative solutions on the European ocean platform EDITO. The organization is also developing the long-term institutional and financial sustainability strategy, ensuring the real-world integration of Digital Twins into operational practice across the Black Sea region.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.