Programme Category
Programme Name
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This call invite institutions to contribute to the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO) by making their data available through EMODnet Biology, a portal providing open, free access to interoperable data on the temporal and spatial distribution of marine species (e.g., angiosperms, benthos, birds, fish, macroalgae, mammals, reptiles, phyto- and zooplankton) from European regional seas. The primary goal is to support the standardization and publication of previously unavailable biodiversity data and the establishment of (semi-)automated workflows, enabling the sustained, long-term ingestion of this data into the EU DTO.
Detailed Call Description
The selected beneficiaries commit to carry out the following activities:
- Participate in a dedicated workshop which will provide training on how to reformat and quality control data conform international standards (see further) and make these available to EMODnet Biology. The workshop will be held from the 3rd of June to the 5th of June 2025 in Paris (3 full days). In-person attendance of at least one representative per selected beneficiary is required. It will also be possible to attend the training workshop online, in case multiple people per beneficiary want to attend the workshop but cannot all attend in person.
- Complete the online training course provided by EMODnet Biology (required for at least one representative per selected beneficiary).
- Contribute to the flow of marine biodiversity data into the DTO, through developing data flow pipelines to EMODnet Biology. Setting up a data flow through intermediate data systems that already have or will in the near future have a direct data flow pipeline to EMODnet Biology (e.g. ICES, ETN) is also eligible.
- Optimize the data flow so that it is as much as possible automated and commit to continued data submission, ensuring sustained data flows to the DTO.
- Ensure the data is formatted, standardized, and quality-controlled conforming to the relevant international standards (as demonstrated in the workshop and the EMODnet Biology online training course) (e.g. using the Darwin Core standard for biodiversity data, , OBIS-ENV-DATA as the preferred format, , World Register of Marine Species, Marine Regions and BODC NERC Vocabulary Server (NVS) to standardize taxonomic names, location names and parameter names respectively, , EMODnet Biology QC Check tool to perform quality checks).
- Ensure that metadata and data will become available through EMODnet Biology. Data need to be published on an Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT) instance and pass the EMODnet Biology Quality Control process.
- Ensure the data complies to Open Access, preferably under a Creative Commons CC-BY license. If applicants plan to use any other license, this needs to be detailed in their application.
- Provide short intermediary reports on their progress every four months, and a final report on the results at the end of the 12-month project.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The maximum amount of financial support for each application is € 60.000.
Half of the funding (50%) will be granted at the start of the project, the other half (50%) will be granted at the end of the project, which corresponds to a successful realization of the proposed activities.
The following costs are eligible for financial support:
- Personnel costs to execute the following types of activities:
- Development of pipelines for data processing, reformatting, standardisation, transfer and publication
- Development of data access API’s (Application Programming Interface)
- Data quality control
- Data documentation and management (in accordance with FAIR principles)
- Travel costs to attend the 3-day data training workshop in Paris. At least one person and at most two persons per selected beneficiary should attend the workshop in person.
Note that no other costs, such as those incurred for sample collection/analysis, qualify for financial support through these grants.
The expected duration of participation is 12 months: from May 1st2025 to April 30th 2026.
Thematic Categories
- Environment and Climate Change
- Other Thematic Category
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Educational Institutions
- International Organisations
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Eligible beneficiaries for this call are data holders (international networks, citizen science networks, research institutes, universities, NGOs, etc.) who can facilitate sustained and long-term ingestion to the EU DTO of previously inaccessible data. Beneficiaries or affiliated partners of the DTO-BioFlow project cannot receive funding through this call.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
For additional questions, contact by email: opencall@dto-bioflow.eu