NAUTILOS (www.nautilos-h2020.eu) is a Horizon 2020 project aiming to develop a new generation of cost-effective sensors and samplers, to integrate observation technologies and platforms into large-scale demonstrations across European seas and to make a significant contribution towards the democratisation of marine environment monitoring. The project is implemented by a large consortium of 21 partners coming from 11 European countries and it is coordinated by the Nаtionаl Reseаrch Council (CNR) of Itаly.
The 8th Consortium Meeting of Nautilos was organized by HCMR and took place in Heraklion, Crete during 15-16 of April 2024, where more than 40 participants from partner institutes presented progress in the currently active Work Packages of the project. Particular focus was given to the Demonstration activities of the technologies developed during the previous months using Fisheries and Aquaculture Observing Systems (AdriFOOS), Platforms of Opportunity with FerryBoxes, Augmented Observing Systems, the ARGO platform and a non-invasive tagging system for marine animals (manta rays and sharks). In addition, the progress on processing and archiving data collected from Nautilos sensors and platforms was evaluated and the exploitation opportunities aiming to be reached by the end of the project were emphasised.
Special attention was given on the Citizen Science activities of Nautilos, lead by Dr Eva Chatzinikolaou (Research Fellow, IMBBC/HCMR), and a dedicated Session was organised where representatives from international initiatives presented their actions in order to support future collaborations and synergies. The Citizen Science Session hosted by Nautilos in Crete invited Dina Eparkhina who is the Senior Policy and Communications Officer of EuroGOOS, Roula Andriopoulou as a representative of Greek Plastic Pirates, Mariana Mata Lara from the Submariner Network, Arianna Liconti from OutBe which is a company organizing outdoor programs with positive environmental and social impact, and Dr Haizea Jimenez as a representative from the Surfrider Foundation Europe.
