TwinDEEPS – Twinning deep-ocean exploration and observation capacity for sustainable development

The deep ocean, that comprises 98% of Portugal’s Exclusive Economic Zone, is a vast area with great relevance for the country’s National Ocean Strategy 2030 which aims to balance economic and social development with sustainability of its marine resources. The TwinDEEPS project aims to raise the research profile of the Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR) in the Widening country of Portugal, to become a leading institute in the field of deep-ocean exploration and observation, by linking it with top-class leading European partners: the Institute of Marine Research (IMR, Norway), the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ, The Netherlands), and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI, Germany). TwinDEEPS is anchored on a highly multidisciplinary and technologically capable consortium with complementary expertise in exploration and mapping of deep-sea ecosystems (IMR), long-term observation and monitoring (NIOZ), big ocean data management (AWI), marine omics and science-policy interactions for conservation and governance (CIIMAR). The transfer of knowledge and the exchange of best practices between partners, through tailored training for excellence and upskilling for leadership activities, will result in a new generation of highly qualified deep-sea researchers and research managers, enhancing the reputation, research profile, and attractiveness of the Widening institution, and promoting talent mobility.Using strategic and creative networking activities, combining participatory and cross-leveraging approaches, TwinDEEPS will build a community of practitioners to co-design a roadmap for a national multidisciplinary deep-ocean observing strategy. A joint R&I project, focussed on a full-scale characterization of an emblematic deep-sea ecosystem (Gorringe Bank), will use state-of-the-art at-sea, in-lab, and in-silico technology and serve as a demonstrator of the strengthened scientific and management capacity enabled by this partnership.