ASSEMBLE Plus is a Horizon 2020-funded project which brings together 32 marine stations and institutes. Coordinated by EMBRC, the project provides research and networking opportunities to scientists in Europe and beyond to enhance marine biology research.

ASSEMBLE Plus provides scientists from academia, industry and policy with a quality-assured programme of Transnational Access (TA) and Virtual Access (VA) to marine biological stations offering a wide variety of marine ecosystems, unique marine biological resources, state-of-the-art experimental and analytical facilities with integrated workflows, historical observation data, and advanced training opportunities. 

The goal is to stimulate European excellence in fundamental and applied research in marine biology and ecology, thereby improving our knowledge- and technology-base for the blue economy, policy and education purposes. The project brings together 32 marine stations and institutes from 14 European and associated countries under the leadership of EMBRC. 

Five joint research activities involving all partners aim to innovate and/or develop new technologies/methodologies to be offered to users. A series of networking activities aims to strengthen the culture of collaboration within and beyond the consortium; develop benchmarking for service provision practices; disseminate interoperable protocols; engage with novel user communities; and share insights into suitable business strategies. Ultimately, ASSEMBLE Plus aims to increase the number of users of marine biological stations and to develop a sustainable, collaborative business strategy. 

ASSEMBLE Plus builds off of a previous FP7-funded project entitled ASSEMBLE Marine. 

Project dates: 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2022
EMBRC role: project coordinator
Contact: amt@embrc.eu
Funding: €9,999,911.48 (Horizon 2020, under grant agreement number 730984)
Learn more on CORDIS (European Commission website)

View the project website

Current projects

MARCO BOLO (Marine Coastal Biodiversity Long-term Observations)
MARCO-BOLO (MBO) aims to structure and strengthen European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities, linking them to global efforts to understand and restore ocean health
Read more
FAIR-EASE: Building Interoperable Earth Science & Environmental Services
The overall objective of FAIR-EASE is to customize and operate distributed and integrated services for observation and modelling of the Earth system, environment and biodiversity by improving the TRL of their different components implemented in close cooperation with user-communities, the European Open Science Cloud and research infrastructures in their design and sustainable availability
Read more
ISIDORe: Integrated Services for Infectious Disease Outbreak Research
This project will support the generation of new knowledge and intervention tools to help control epidemic-prone pathogens such as SARS CoV 2.
Read more
DOORS: Developing an Optimal and Open Research Support system to unlock the potential for blue growth in the Black Sea
DOORS aims to harmonise research and provide the infrastructure to better understand the Black Sea, particularly its ecosystem characteristics.
Read more
Atlantic ECOsystems assessment, forecasting & sustainability
The EU-funded AtlantECO project aims to develop and apply a novel, unifying framework that provides knowledge-based resources for a better understanding and management of the Atlantic Ocean and its ecosystem services. Focus areas include: microbiomes, plastic and the plastisphere, and seascape connectivity.
Read more
IMBRSea: International Master in Marine Biological Resources
IMBRSea is a joint master program organised by 10 leading European universities in the field of marine sciences, supported by EMBRC. IMBRSea prepares students for the rapidly evolving demands of the blue bio-economy and research on the sustainable use of marine biological resources.
Read more