The DTO-BioFlow project is launching its second open call, inviting international networks, citizen science initiatives, research institutes, universities, and NGOs to contribute marine biodiversity data to the European Digital Twin of the Ocean. This initiative is aligned with the EU’s mission to restore oceans and waters by 2030, enhancing oceanographic knowledge and supporting evidence-based policy development.
Project activities
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.
Who can apply
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.
The maximum amount of financial support for each application is 60.000 EUR.
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