Through the European REMORA project, scientists emphasize the Azores’ importance in marine biodiversity, deep-sea exploration, technological innovation, and the future of ocean research.
The Azores could gain a stronger voice in shaping Europe’s ocean research priorities following the release of two European REMORA project documents calling for greater scientific investment, improved research infrastructure, and increased participation by the European Union’s outermost regions in major maritime initiatives. The University of the Azores, through its OKEANOS Institute of Marine Sciences, is part of the international consortium behind the initiative, which identifies the archipelago as a strategic center for deep-sea research, marine biodiversity conservation, and maritime technological innovation.
Entitled Frontiers of Europe, Frontiers of Knowledge: The Outermost Regions in the Ocean Pact & OceanEye, the policy brief and accompanying manifesto examine the importance of territories such as the Azores, Madeira, and Réunion in expanding scientific understanding of the oceans.
The documents present these regions as natural laboratories, where distinctive marine environments and geographical conditions offer opportunities for research that are difficult to replicate elsewhere in Europe. Their findings also support greater participation by these territories in the European Ocean Pact and the OceanEye initiative.
According to the University of the Azores, the publications demonstrate how the islands contribute to scientific knowledge essential for understanding, protecting, and sustainably managing marine ecosystems.
The policy brief recalls that the European Union collectively encompasses approximately 25 million square kilometers of Exclusive Economic Zones, describing this as the largest collective maritime area in the world. The outermost regions account for a significant part of this oceanic geography, extending Europe’s scientific and environmental responsibilities far beyond the continental mainland.
The Azores occupy a particularly important position within this vast maritime territory. Located in the North Atlantic, the archipelago is home to an extraordinary diversity of marine habitats, including vulnerable cold-water coral ecosystems and hydrothermal fields supporting organisms adapted to extreme environmental conditions. Some of these forms of life are associated with environments unlike those found elsewhere in European waters.
These characteristics make the islands especially valuable for investigating deep-sea biodiversity, ocean processes, and ecosystems that remain insufficiently explored. The archipelago’s geographical position also provides opportunities for studying environmental changes across the North Atlantic.
Marine conservation represents another significant area of achievement. According to the document, Marine Protected Areas now cover 30% of the Azores’ Exclusive Economic Zone, creating one of the largest marine conservation networks in the Atlantic. This extensive system underscores the region’s growing contribution to biodiversity protection and the long-term study of marine ecosystems.
The REMORA publications describe Europe’s outermost regions as frontiers of knowledge, emphasizing that their geographical distance from continental Europe offers scientific advantages rather than merely logistical challenges. Their proximity to distinctive ecosystems makes them valuable centers for observation, experimentation, and discovery.
Technological innovation is also emerging as an important opportunity. The documents highlight the developing Technological Free Zones in Madeira and the Azores, designed to enable public and private organizations to develop prototypes, test equipment, and validate maritime technologies under real ocean conditions.
Such facilities could encourage collaboration between universities, research centers, and maritime industries while supporting the development of new technologies for ocean observation, exploration, and monitoring.
The Azores’ strategic location also extends beyond scientific research. Situated along major transatlantic shipping routes and submarine telecommunications cable corridors, the archipelago occupies an important position in maritime communications, monitoring, and security.
This combination of geographical location, scientific expertise, environmental diversity, and technological potential strengthens the islands’ relevance within Europe’s maritime landscape.
Nevertheless, the documents acknowledge challenges that continue to affect scientific development in island territories. Maintaining modern research infrastructure, retaining qualified scientists, and ensuring access to international research networks require sustained investment and cooperation.
The publications recommend more equitable access to European research funding and greater involvement of the outermost regions in decisions concerning ocean science and maritime development. They also emphasize the importance of creating professional opportunities that allow specialized researchers to build lasting careers in the islands.
For the University of the Azores, participation in REMORA reinforces the work already being undertaken by its marine research community and highlights the archipelago’s contribution to international scientific cooperation.
The project also offers a broader perspective on the relationship between geographical isolation and scientific opportunity. The same ocean that separates the Azores from continental Europe provides access to extraordinary environments, ecosystems, and research possibilities.
In this context, the islands emerge not simply as distant European territories but as important centers of discovery, where the study of the Atlantic can contribute to a deeper understanding of the planet’s oceans.
The REMORA initiative ultimately underscores a central reality: Europe’s oceanic future cannot be fully understood without the scientific knowledge generated in its Atlantic and other outermost regions. For the Azores, this represents both recognition of their existing contributions and an opportunity to strengthen their place in the international community of marine science.
Based on a story in Di’rio Insular, José Lourenço-director. The photo os also from DI.