The marine world, a vast and complex frontier, is fundamental to Earth’s biodiversity, climate stability, bio-ecosystem sustainability and human advancement. By leveraging recent advances in science and technology, specifically in robotics, sensor technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI), technological innovation in underwater automation is rapidly advancing in Europe and creating a big economic potential. These technologies can bring sustainability to marine-ecosystem development and change the way how humans interact with it, by carrying-out activities like high-precision environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection, pollution detection, ecosystem restoration, etc in aquatic environments.

However, the development and application of such technologies remain uneven across different regions in EU, often with limited access to advanced demonstration and integration capabilities in Less Developed Regions and Transition Regions (LDR/TR). To address this gap, ATLANTIS (Advancing Transregional Aqua Networks for Technology and Innovative Synergies) will establish interregional value chains and create innovation diffusion pathways between More Developed Region (MDR) and LDR/TR regions, while prioritizing the needs of the least-developed regions.

The project will identify and implement a portfolio of eight use cases; each demonstrated at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7. The project will connect technology developers in MDR regions with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), companies, research institutes and public authorities in LDR/TR regions, enabling these actors to acquire, adapt and operate TRL 7 underwater robotic solutions.

CRF IN ATLANTIS

CRF focuses on the conditions that enable technological innovation to move beyond demonstration and become an adoptable, governable and replicable regional capability.

Project Presentation (PDF)

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• Bianco M., Martignano S. Impact-Oriented Research: Towards an Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation Alliance. Research Notes, TOCC Project – Italian Ministry of Culture, 2024. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17610931
• Martignano S., Bianco M. “Why Education Systems Fail in Complex Transitions” CRF Research Notes, Series in Complex Systems Transition. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18467568
• Martignano S., Bianco M. “Systemic Thinking in Education: Developing Capacity to Act Under Complexity” CRF Research Notes, Series in Complex Systems Transition. 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18467802
• Bianco M. “Resources, Capabilities and Regional Development Traps: Bridging Regional Innovation Systems, and Socio-Technical Transitions” CRF Research Notes, Series in Complex Systems Transition 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22919830
• Bianco M. “From Research Transfer to Territorial Capability: A Place-Based Systemic RTO Model” CRF Research Notes, Series in Complex Systems Transition 2026. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23472441