The survey is open until 15 September 2026.
Photo: Adobe Stock
The European Commission is inviting businesses and organisations within the ocean observation technology sector to contribute to a new survey examining the competitiveness of the European industry.
The research forms part of a wider study of the EU sustainable blue economy and will support the implementation of OceanEye, an initiative adopted in June this year, through which the bloc aims to become a global leader in ocean observation technology.
Under the initiative, the EU is targeting a 35% share of the global ocean technology market by 2035.
“With OceanEye, Europe will lead the race to understand our ocean, to protect it, and to sustainably harness its potential," President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in June.
"This is about using science and good governance to understand our ocean and secure our future. We call on all Member States and global partners to join us in to support the Global Ocean Observing System and make OceanEye a reality,” she added.
According to the Commission, the survey will help it better understand the structure, performance and competitiveness of Europe’s ocean observation sector, as well as how it compares with international competitors. It will also examine the challenges facing companies operating in the industry.
Businesses throughout the ocean observation value chain are being encouraged to participate, including sensor and instrument manufacturers, autonomous platform and marine robotics developers, data service providers, software and analytics companies, systems integrators and other technology developers and service providers.
The Commission said the survey responses would inform its analysis of Europe’s industrial strengths and innovation potential.
It also indicated the findings would be used to inform future EU policy, funding programmes and other support measures for the sector.
Participants will receive a summary of the aggregated findings, and companies that provide consent may also be considered for case studies highlighting businesses active in the European ocean observation industry, the Commission said.
The survey takes around 15-20 minutes to complete and will remain open until 15 September 2026.
