Across all our activities and solutions, the emphasis was on ensuring continuity and making sure that coordination efforts, networks, and outputs could support implementation in the years ahead. In that light, we are eagerly awaiting the proposals that will be submitted by 2026 under our BlueActionBANOS 9 million EUR funding programme, which we launched just three months after the project’s start on November 2025.
Read along to find out what moved us across the seas this year.
Mission Ocean work moved towards deployment
One of the most significant milestones of the year was the conclusion of BlueMissionBANOS. After several years of coordination across the Baltic and North Sea region, the project formally closed in 2025. Its final phase focused on synthesis and handover, ensuring that lessons learned, stakeholder networks, and coordination mechanisms will continue to be used in BlueActionBANOS, which we started on September 2025, and the upcoming second phase of BlueMissionBANOS, expected to start by mid-2026.
As part of this work, the Mission Arena series reached its final milestone with Mission Arena 4 in Sopot. The event brought together regional actors, projects, and policymakers to focus on deployment-oriented Mission Ocean actions in the South Baltic. It closed the Arena cycle for the BANOS region and marked a transition from dialogue toward implementation.
BlueMissionBANOS
https://bluemissionbanos.eu
Mission Arenas
https://bluemissionbanos.eu/mission-arenas
Although not formally part of BlueMissionBANOS, the spirit of our Mission Arenas was reflected in the Mission Ocean and Waters conference under the Danish EU Presidency in Nyborg this autumn, which was organised with the help of our Danish BlueMissionBANOS partners SDU and DTU.
Mission Ocean & Waters DK EU Presidency Conference
https://event.sdu.dk/missionoceaneu/the-roadmap
Marine protection gained a shared structure
In 2025, the MPA Community Network was launched to provide a shared structure for projects and practitioners working on marine protected areas. It connects initiatives across governance, planning, monitoring, and restoration, supporting exchange and continuity beyond individual project cycles.
MPA Community Network
https://mpacommunitynetwork.eu
Algae work connected innovation and policy
Algae-related activities reached a visible high point in October with the EU Algae Awareness Summit in Berlin. The event brought together around 250 participants from policy, research, industry, and projects, creating a shared space to connect algae innovation with EU policy priorities and market development. Being part of the large-scale EU4Algae initiative, key highlights of the Summit were the signature of the Algae Declaration by several EU Member States and the presence of EU Commissioner Costas Kadis and German Minister Alois Rainer.
EU Algae Awareness Summit
https://algae-awareness.eu
EU4Algae
https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/eu4algae_en
Alongside this, several algae-focused support mechanisms moved into action. Through I3-4-SEAWEED, open calls support SMEs working on seaweed and macroalgae innovation across cultivation, processing, and product development. In parallel, the AlgaeProBANOS Accelerator provided targeted mentorship to startups and SMEs, supporting business development and scale-up across the algae value chain. Together with our seven other algae-related projects, these initiatives helped move algae solutions closer to market and implementation.
I3-4-SEAWEED
https://i3-4-seaweed.eu
APB Algae Accelerator
https://submariner-network.eu/algae-accelerator
Art–science collaboration expanded through TIDAL ArtS
In 2025, TIDAL ArtS opened new pathways for art–science collaboration focused on ocean and water challenges. The Lighthouse Calls launched early in the year attracted more than 600 applications from 16 countries, reflecting strong interest in cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to engagement, literacy, and community involvement.
The response underlined the role of artistic and creative practice as a complementary entry point to Mission Ocean objectives, extending participation beyond traditional research and policy formats.
TIDAL ArtS
https://tidalarts.eu
Skills, inclusion, and recognition gained room
Work on skills and inclusion continued across sea basins through the WIN-BIG project. Activities took place in the Mediterranean and Baltic regions, including events in Rome and Kiel focused on gender equality and capacity building in the blue economy. In November, WIN-BIG received the Atlantic Award for Blue Skills, recognising its contribution to training, mentoring, and inclusion.
WIN-BIG
https://winbigproject.eu
In 2025, Blue Bio Techpreneurs (BBT) brought academia (students) and industry (companies) together through hands-on challenge solving at the BBT Baltic Hackathon in Poland and BBT’s Atlantic Hackathon, in collaboration with the Ocean Hackathon in Portugal. In parallel, BBT also ran a webinar series featuring inspiring stories from across the blue bioeconomy, spotlighting real journeys, lessons learned, and the people driving change.
BBT results and impressions, as well as SUBMARINER Network project outputs, combined with stories from blue economy startups and companies, including SUBMARINER members and friends, are showcased in five BBT Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These courses highlight opportunities in the blue economy, connecting theory with real-world challenges, solutions, and role models. In 2025, 2,300 learners participated in the interactive course series covering the following topics:
C1: Introduction to Blue Bioeconomy Entrepreneurship
C2: Beyond the Shore: Innovating the Blue Bioeconomy on Land
C3: Introduction to Blue Bioeconomy Entrepreneurship
C4: Integrated Ocean Planning: Marine Protected Areas, Multi-Use and Business Pathways
C5: Blue Biotechnology Entrepreneurship and Careers: Innovation to Impact
Blue Bio Techpreneurs
https://qrco.de/bbtQR
BlueBioMatch: Community collaboration expanded across the blue bioeconomy
In 2025, BlueBioMatch continued to grow as a community-driven platform supporting collaboration across the blue bioeconomy and beyond. The community now includes over 1,400 active members, ranging from entrepreneurs, researchers, industry actors, and students to marine conservationists, ocean artists and creatives, and future blue professionals, reflecting a steadily widening scope across the blue economy.
This growth was accompanied by more relevant content and opportunities on the platform. The Product Showcase features over 30 community products, while 210 opportunities related to jobs, partnerships, pilots, and collaboration calls were shared. The platform also hosts 78 mentors and strengthened engagement through thematic groups, including the newly established BlueActionBANOS community.
A platform rebranding is planned for 2026 to reflect BlueBioMatch’s expanding scope and growing community.
From analysis to application
Several outputs in 2025 illustrated a shift from analysis toward practical use. A BSH-commissioned study on ocean multi-use in the German EEZ was published in English and presented internationally, linking technical assessment directly to spatial planning and governance contexts.
German EEZ multi-use study
https://submariner-network.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/SummaryReport_MultiUseStudy_BSH_sPro_Final_ENG.pdf
SUBMARINER contributed to key EU policy-facing moments during the year, including European Ocean Days in Brussels and Mission Ocean-related discussions. These engagements helped connect project-level work with broader EU policy processes, particularly in relation to the European Ocean Pact and Mission Ocean and Waters.
European Ocean Days
https://oceandays.eu
Mission Ocean
https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/eu4algae_en
Looking ahead
Towards the end of the year, another longer-term step became clear.
In November, SUBMARINER received confirmation that the EIT Water consortium it participated in had been selected, opening opportunities for deeper engagement in innovation.
EIT Water
https://eitwater.eu
As 2026 approaches, the focus is increasingly on implementation and continuity: advancing BlueActionBANOS, supporting marine protection and Mission Ocean action, and continuing to link innovation, policy, and practice across sectors.
Of course, none of this work has or will happen in isolation. We would like to thank SUBMARINER’s network members, project partners, and wider stakeholder community for yet another year of constructive cooperation, all contributing in different ways to healthier and more resilient Baltic and North Sea regions.
We wish you a peaceful and restorative holiday season and look forward to continuing the work together in 2026.
