OceanEye is here: with €92 million earmarked for ocean observation, the EU is aiming for leadership in research

Brussels – To ensure that the European Union accounts for 35 per cent of the global market for ocean observation systems by 2035: This is the objective of OceanEye, officially approved today (3 June) by the board of commissioners. More specifically, Brussels aims to position the EU as the world’s leading provider of ocean information, contributing 35 per cent to the global ocean observation system by 2035 and securing 35 per cent of the ocean observation technology market. Announced by the President Von der Leyen in March, this is one of the outcomes of the European Pact for the Oceans, adopted by the Berlymont Building in June 2025. With an investment of €92 million from the Horizon Europe programme, the funding plan is divided into three parts: €50 million to strengthen the global observation system, €12 million for data resilience, and €30 million allocated to the European Innovation Council, the European Union’s main instrument, also funded by Horizon, for the development of new technologies. As highlighted by the President of the European Commission, “with OceanEye, Europe will lead the race to understand our ocean, protect it and
to sustainably harness its potential.”

“Every euro invested in ocean observation systems generates a return of 5–6 euros in economic and social benefits,” highlighted the Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, Ekaterina Zaharieva, emphasising that understanding the sea is also an economic resource because “the blue economy already generates 5 million jobs in the EU, with a gross added value of €250 billion.” Furthermore, the sector has undisputed, yet untapped, geopolitical potential because “although the ocean covers 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface, only 5 per cent has ever been explored.” 

The Commission has highlighted that European ocean observation is currently fragmented and that OceanEye aims to address this issue through four key pillars. The first two involve, on the one hand, European governance to reduce duplication in data collection—the details of which will be set out in a proposed law on the oceans due later this year—and, on the other hand, an international alliance in support of the Global Ocean Observing System, to provide support also to small island states and least developed countries, which are among those most affected by ocean changes. 

The EU Commission’s third objective is to reach markets in innovative sectors: the technological heart of OceanEye will be the European Digital Ocean System, which will integrate existing services such as Copernicus Marine and EMODnet. A significant milestone will be 2030, the year in which the Digital Twin of the Ocean is expected to become fully operational, the tool that will enable real-time monitoring and advanced predictive models. Von der Leyen called for a commitment to “pool all our resources to create a robust European Digital Ocean System to ensure that both public and private bodies provide more and better services and products.” Finally, through education and culture, the EU aims to “bring citizens closer to the sea,” particularly via platforms designed to collect, process, and share data on water and the oceans, such as the new European Bauhaus Ocean, Coastal and Island Communities Lab. 

As highlighted at the press conference announcing the initiative, the initiative takes on even greater significance in the current geopolitical climate, marked by the United States’ gradual withdrawal of support for international science.