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Innovamare is joining leading European organizations in the creation of EUROCEAN, a new network designed to build a shared European capability in ocean autonomy.
EUROCEAN has been developed through a collaboration between the Ocean Autonomy Cluster (Norway), DronePort Rotterdam (The Netherlands), The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab – Smart Move (Greece), and Innovamare (Croatia).
EUROCEAN’s goal is to connect test arenas and innovation ecosystems across the continent, allowing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access shared infrastructure, investors, and pilot customers. The partners also plan to explore shared data and regulatory frameworks to ensure secure, interoperable, and safe operations across European waters. By linking aerial, surface, and subsea innovation environments, the network seeks to create a continuum for testing and validation, transforming Europe’s maritime regions into platforms for growth and innovation.
Frode Halvorsen, Cluster Manager at Ocean Autonomy Cluster, stated, “Europe can’t afford fragmented innovation in critical ocean technologies. EUROCEAN is about connecting our test facilities, aligning our approaches, and helping new technologies reach the market faster.”
“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. This is about building a truly European capability, one that turns collaboration into competitiveness and innovation into impact at sea.”
The establishment of the network builds on several years of partnership among the founding organizations. Bjørn Damhaug, CEO of Fremtidens Industri (FI), the parent organization of Ocean Autonomy Cluster, noted that the initiative is an important step in connecting Europe’s strongest maritime regions. He stated, “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.”
Each partner brings unique strengths to the collaboration. The Ocean Autonomy Cluster anchors the initiative in Trondheim, Norway, a global hub for ocean technology and home to the Testination test arena. DronePort Rotterdam contributes expertise from Europe’s largest port with advanced infrastructure for maritime and aerial drone testing.
Smart Move provides deep academic knowledge in autonomous operations and marine systems engineering, while Innovamare connects a network of Blue Economy innovators and maritime SMEs in the Adriatic region. The work focuses on areas such as port safety, offshore energy logistics, and subsea inspection, where cross-domain integration is crucial.
The formation of EUROCEAN comes as ocean technologies are increasingly seen as vital to Europe’s strategic resilience, including securing subsea infrastructure, sustainable energy supply, and logistics. The partners view the network as a practical response aligned with the EU’s Blue Economy and Digital Europe strategies, supporting both civilian and dual-use applications.
Adrian Butnaru, Program Manager at Droneport Rotterdam, said, “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.” He added that the network “demonstrates how Europe’s maritime regions can pool capabilities and create shared testing capacity to strengthen collective resilience.”
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing EUROCEAN is being signed, marking the beginning of coordinated efforts to strengthen testing standards, regulatory frameworks, and access to capital. The network supports the full innovation pathway, from early research and testing to large-scale deployment and commercialization. By offering shared access to early adopters, facilities, and standards, the network aims to lower barriers for SMEs entering the European ocean-tech market.
As a founding partner, Innovamare contributes its strong regional network of maritime innovators and technology developers, strengthening Adriatic cooperation within Europe’s growing ocean-tech ecosystem.
