BIOcean5D
A European, multidisciplinary project exploring marine life and how it changes with space, time and human impact
Image credit: Karim Iliya / Kogia
There’s still much we don’t know about marine biodiversity, despite its fundamental importance in planetary and human health.
BIOcean5D seeks to explore marine life and how it changes across 5 dimensions: 3-dimensional space, time, and human impact.
Central to achieving our goals is a one-of-a-kind set of samples and data, collected from across Europe’s coastline and land-sea interface.
Over 4 years, we will use this data to explore marine biodiversity holistically and to develop novel tools and methods to monitor and understand its functions and its economic and legal value.
Ultimately, we hope that by measuring, monitoring and understanding marine biodiversity, and involving citizens in our research, we’ll be able to inform the sustainable management and long-term preservation of our marine ecosystems.
Partners
countries
years
funding
News
BIOcean5D General Assembly 2025
The BIOcean5D team recently convened for our second General Assembly meeting at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona, from 11 to 13 February 2025.
Interweaving science and public engagement for a sustainable future
The TREC – Tara Europa expedition provided a unique opportunity to communicate and engage with a wide audience about the importance of our ocean. Public outreach activities carried out at key locations along the expedition route helped improve understanding, increase awareness and ignite interest across a number of topics, from marine plankton to plastic pollution.
Engagement through art
The BIOcean5D artists-in-residence program harnesses the power of art as a form of communication to develop citizen engagement with the widest possible public. The legacy of artwork created will ensure a lasting impact beyond the project duration.
UNCBD COP16: connecting science and policy to strengthen ocean conservation – part 2
The BIOcean5D policy brief – launched at UNCBD COP16, in Cali, Colombia – describes innovative scientific approaches to strengthen existing marine protection and conservation strategies.
UNCBD COP16: connecting science and policy to strengthen ocean conservation – part 1
Improving marine protection and conservation strategies requires integrating new and innovative science-based approaches. Bridging the science-policy gap is a major aspect of BIOcean5D, illustrated by the policy brief launch at UNCBD COP16, in Cali, Colombia.
Collaborative multidisciplinary training for marine sustainability
The sustainable management and long-term preservation of our marine ecosystems require multidisciplinary collaboration. The Synergy Summer School, held from 24 to 28 June 2024 in Ischia (Italy), ensures this integrative approach is incorporated within the advanced training of the next cohort of scientists.
Our funding
BIOcean5D has received more than €17m in total from the European Commission under grant agreement 101059915, from the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation under contract #22.00255 for Swiss partners, and from the UK government Horizon Europe Guarantee, UKRI Grant Reference Number 10039266 for UK partners.
