European leaders in ocean autonomy join forces: EUROCEAN network established

Europe’s leading environments for ocean technology and drone innovation are joining forces through the launch of EUROCEAN, a new European network initiated by Ocean Autonomy Cluster (Norway) together with DronePort Rotterdam (The Netherlands), The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab  – Smart Move (Greece), and Innovamare (Croatia). EUROCEAN connects leading test arenas and innovation ecosystems, creating the foundation for shared European capability in ocean autonomy.

The initiative marks a new stage in European collaboration aimed at strengthening the continent’s position in ocean autonomy, testing, and commercialization.

EUROCEAN builds on several years of partnership between the founding organizations. Its goal is to connect test arenas and innovation ecosystems across Europe, enabling small and medium-sized enterprises to access pilot customers, investors, and shared infrastructure. The partners will also explore shared data and regulatory frameworks to enable safe, interoperable, and secure operations across European waters.

By linking aerial, surface, and subsea innovation environments, EUROCEAN creates a European continuum for testing and validation across domains, turning Europe’s maritime regions into connected platforms for innovation and growth.

– Europe can’t afford fragmented innovation in critical ocean technologies, says Frode Halvorsen, Cluster Manager at Ocean Autonomy Cluster. -EUROCEAN is about connecting our test facilities, aligning our approaches, and helping new technologies reach the market faster.

Bjørn Damhaug, CEO of Fremtidens Industri (FI), Norway’s leading organization for cluster management and innovation ecosystems, and the parent organization of Ocean Autonomy Cluster, says EUROCEAN represents an important step in connecting Europe’s strongest maritime regions.
– This is about linking innovation ecosystems, not research silos. From Trondheim to Rotterdam and the Adriatic, we’re turning Europe’s maritime competence into commercial strength.

Building resilience through European cooperation

Each partner contributes unique strengths to the collaboration.

In Norway, Ocean Autonomy Cluster anchors the initiative in Trondheim, a global hub for ocean technology and home to NTNU, SINTEF, and the Testination test arena. DronePort Rotterdam brings expertise from Europe’s largest port and advanced infrastructure for aerial and maritime drone testing. Smart Move adds deep academic knowledge in marine systems engineering and autonomous operations, while Innovamare connects a vibrant network of Blue Economy innovators and maritime SMEs in the Adriatic region.

Examples of innovation include offshore energy logistics, port safety and subsea inspection, areas where cross-domain integration is key to Europe’s technological leadership.

The establishment of EUROCEAN comes at a time when ocean technologies are increasingly linked to Europe’s strategic resilience, from protecting subsea infrastructure to securing sustainable energy supply and logistics. In line with the EU’s Blue Economy and Digital Europe strategies, EUROCEAN contributes to Europe’s goals for resilience, sustainable ocean management, and technological sovereignty.

The partners see the network as a practical response to these priorities, ensuring that technological innovation supports both civilian and dual-use applications.

– EUROCEAN is a natural extension of our collaboration in dual-use and autonomous systems. By connecting port operations, aerial systems, and subsea technologies, we turn Europe’s maritime regions into living labs for secure and sustainable innovation, says Adrian Butnaru, Program Manager at Droneport Rotterdam. – EUROCEAN demonstrates how Europe’s maritime regions can pool capabilities and create shared testing capacity to strengthen collective resilience.

From collaboration to coordinated impact

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing EUROCEAN is now being signed, marking the beginning of coordinated efforts to strengthen testing standards, regulatory frameworks, and access to capital, key enablers of Europe’s emerging ocean-tech capability.

EUROCEAN supports the full innovation pathway, from early research and testing to large-scale deployment and commercialization. By offering shared access to facilities, standards, and early adopters, the network lowers barriers for SMEs to enter the European ocean-tech market.

Several additional organizations across Europe have already expressed interest in joining, underscoring the growing demand for coordinated European capability in ocean autonomy.

EUROCEAN reflects a broader shift in Europe’s approach to innovation, one that connects technology, commercialization, and resilience. By bringing together expertise from leading regions, the network aims to strengthen Europe’s ability to develop, test, and deploy the next generation of ocean technologies.

– EUROCEAN transforms regional innovation into collective European capability, linking testbeds, partners, and markets to accelerate the transition toward a more resilient, autonomous, and sustainable ocean economy, says Frode Halvorsen. – This is about building a truly European capability, one that turns collaboration into competitiveness and innovation into impact at sea.

(From left to right) Arthur Dallau (DronePort Rotterdam), Adrian Butnaru (DronePort Rotterdam), Frode Halvorsen (Ocean Autonomy Cluster), and Dimitris Zissos (The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab  – Smart Move). Mateo Ivanac (Innovamare) was not present when the photo was taken.

About EUROCEAN partners

• Ocean Autonomy Cluster (Norway): Norway’s leading cluster for ocean autonomy and maritime robotics, part of Fremtidens Industri (FI).
• DronePort Rotterdam (Netherlands): European centre for autonomous and uncrewed systems across space, air, land, water, and subsea domains. Located in Europe’s largest port, DronePort connects partners to develop and scale dual-use technologies that enhance operational resilience, and strengthen Europe’s strategic and digital autonomy.
• The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab  – Smart Move (Greece): Academic leader in maritime systems, robotics, and engineering education.
• Innovamare (Croatia): Blue Economy cluster fostering collaboration and entrepreneurship among maritime SMEs and technology developers in the Adriatic.