Europe Unites in Ocean Autonomy: EUROCEAN Network Launched to Strengthen Maritime Innovation

Europe’s leading maritime innovation ecosystems have officially launched EUROCEAN, a new European network designed to unify test environments and accelerate the continent’s leadership in ocean autonomy and drone technologies.

The initiative, led by Norway’s Ocean Autonomy Cluster, brings together DronePort Rotterdam (Netherlands), The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab – Smart Move (Greece), and Innovamare (Croatia) — establishing a cross-European platform that connects aerial, surface, and subsea domains into one integrated innovation framework.

The newly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) marks a step-change in Europe’s strategic cooperation, strengthening the continent’s ability to develop, test, and commercialize autonomous maritime systems — critical for Europe’s technological sovereignty and resilience.

“Europe can’t afford fragmented innovation in critical ocean technologies,” said 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.”

From Research to Deployment

EUROCEAN’s goal is to create a continuum of testing and validation environments across Europe — linking innovation labs, test arenas, and maritime clusters to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in accessing pilot customers, investors, and shared infrastructure.

The partnership builds on years of bilateral collaboration among the founding organizations. By pooling expertise and infrastructure, EUROCEAN aims to turn Europe’s maritime regions into living laboratories for dual-use innovation — serving both civilian and defense-related applications.

A Network of European Strengths

Each founding member brings distinctive capabilities to the network:

• Ocean Autonomy Cluster (Norway) anchors the initiative in Trondheim, home to NTNU, SINTEF, and the Testination test arena.
• DronePort Rotterdam (Netherlands) contributes advanced aerial and maritime drone testing expertise from Europe’s largest port.
• Smart Move (Greece) provides academic excellence in maritime robotics and autonomous systems engineering.
• Innovamare (Croatia) connects the Adriatic’s fast-growing Blue Economy ecosystem, linking maritime SMEs and technology startups.

“This is about linking innovation ecosystems, not research silos,” said Bjørn Damhaug, CEO of Fremtidens Industri, Norway’s leading innovation ecosystem organization and parent of the Ocean Autonomy Cluster. “From Trondheim to Rotterdam and the Adriatic, we’re turning Europe’s maritime competence into commercial strength.”

Strategic Relevance for Europe

The establishment of EUROCEAN comes as ocean technologies gain strategic importance for Europe’s security, logistics, and energy resilience. From protecting subsea infrastructure to advancing offshore energy and port safety, autonomous systems are becoming essential to Europe’s Blue Economy and Digital Europe strategies.

“By connecting port operations, aerial systems, and subsea technologies, we turn Europe’s maritime regions into living labs for secure and sustainable innovation,” said Adrian Butnaru, Program Manager at DronePort Rotterdam.

Building Europe’s Maritime Sovereignty

EUROCEAN supports the full innovation pathway — from early-stage research to large-scale deployment — offering shared access to facilities, standards, and early adopters. This reduces market barriers for startups and fosters collaboration across national boundaries.

The partners emphasize that EUROCEAN is not another symbolic partnership but a functional network that aims to establish common testing standards, data-sharing frameworks, and harmonized regulation — crucial enablers for Europe’s ocean-tech competitiveness.

Additional organizations across Europe have already expressed interest in joining, reflecting the growing demand for a coordinated European approach to maritime autonomy.

“EUROCEAN transforms regional innovation into collective European capability,” Halvorsen added. “It’s about turning collaboration into competitiveness — and innovation into real impact at sea.”

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 center for uncrewed and autonomous systems across air, land, and sea domains.
• The Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab – Smart Move (Greece): Academic hub for maritime systems, robotics, and autonomous engineering.
• Innovamare (Croatia): Adriatic Blue Economy cluster connecting maritime SMEs, technology developers, and innovators.

Source: EUROCEAN founding partners press release, October 2025.