SURIMI Project to Integrate Models into the Digital Twin Ocean

“The Digital Twin Ocean serves to make ocean knowledge available to all: governments, politicians, scientific experts, the private sector, entrepreneurs, ordinary citizens and activists alike, thus empowering them to become partners in knowledge generation by facilitating interactions in the pursuit of a healthy and productive ocean.” (Digital Twin Ocean 2024)

At ERINN Innovation, our expertise lies in guiding and accelerating impactful research and innovation for sustainable initiatives. Ensuring that information is accessible to all is crucial for advancing European sustainable strategies and achieving a sustainable future.

Funded by Horizon Europe’s EU Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030, the NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS coordinates SURIMI project, which will integrate socio-economic models into the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO).

With a budget of €3.4 million and a consortium of eight partners across seven countries, SURIMI will operate from 2024 to 2027. It is one of four sibling projects—alongside SEADITO, SEADOTs, and ECOTWIN—focused on contributing socio-ecological models to the EU DTO.

The EU DTO aims to create a digital representation of real-world ocean and water systems, using real-time and historical data from sources such as Copernicus and the European Marine Observation and Data Network. This system will simulate various ocean scenarios, offering insights and solutions to address future climate change pressures.

SURIMI will use live data on fish stocks, landings, and distribution, applying artificial intelligence to conduct simulations and generate written responses. These models will be accessible to researchers, entrepreneurs, local authorities, and the public, facilitating more effective and sustainable marine resource management, policymaking, and conservation. This data will be vital for decision-makers and crucial in developing preventative measures to address harmful events, significantly contributing to ecosystem-based fisheries management while aligning with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

ERINN Innovation will forefront the project’s dissemination, exploitation, and communication strategy, leading the creation of the project branding, website, maintenance of social media platforms, and knowledge transfer to ensure impact beyond the lifetime of the project.

The goals of SURIMI include:
• Strengthening the assessment capabilities of the EU DTO with respect to impacts of environmental changes, human pressures and policy implementation on ocean health, the blue economy, and societal prosperity.

• Elevating stakeholder skills in using state-of-the-art digital twinning tools for faster and cheaper evidence-based assessment and sustainable management of marine resources, increasing blue economy jobs, and thus supporting the move towards resilient infrastructure within the EU.

• Democratising access to high-quality data and simulation model predictions related to stock status, prevention of overfishing, and equitable distribution of natural resources.

• Bringing ocean knowledge to all, citizen science will be encouraged by providing accessible user-friendly tools, broadening engagement in ocean sciences, policy and sustainability.

• Contributing to an ever-evolving EU DTO database with input from experts and non-experts alike to create a “stand-alone usability” principle, meaning that SURIMI tools will be easy to use without specialist guidance.

ERINN Innovation’s role in SURIMI will bridge the gap between research, policy, industry, and society, advancing long-term marine and ocean management in line with the EU Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030.