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-BE role: VLIZ and UGent are involved
Funding: €9,999,911.48 (Horizon 2020, under grant agreement number 730984)

Current projects

Services for envIRonmental Exposure and health assessmeNt in Europe
The ambition of the SIRENE (Services for envIRonmental Exposure and health assessmeNt in Europe) project is to increase the problem-solving capacity of European society in the Environmental and Public Health and improve capabilities to find and understand disease causations not explained by genetics. While the One Health framework is increasingly recognised as a critical approach to addressing planetary health risks, its practical implementation is limited by disciplinary silos. The exposome concept promoting holistic characterization of the non-genetic factors that influence phenotype and health over the life course offers a unifying scientific framework to address this gap. It represents a transformative paradigm for health research as it goes beyond traditional risk assessment by incorporating multi-domain high-resolution longitudinal data, making the exposome concept particularly well-suited framework for precision public health and prevention strategies. This integrative approach promotes the interdisciplinary evaluation of a wide array of factors originating from natural, built-in, and social environments, occupation, lifestyle, and diet, which can be measured both outside, and in the human body, and encourages environmental, clinical and social scientists to deliver a systematic and comprehensive mapping of these factors, together with associated biological responses, to understand their contributions to disease risks. The SIRENE project brings together 11 ESFRI landmarks and projects to enable challenge-driven research linking environmental factors to human health and advance frontier knowledge and innovation in human exposome by providing open access to complementary high-end infrastructures, integrated services and harmonised data.
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Research Infrastructure Services in Biotechnology to support Biomanufacturing
RISE-UP BIO is a research infrastructure initiative advancing Transnational Access for Biotechnology in Biomanufacturing. The consortium unites 24 partners from eleven EU Member States plus one associated country, representing four European research infrastructures: IBISBA, EMBRC, EuBI, and MIRRI-ERIC. Together, they provide a catalogue of over 700 services for bioprocess development, from microbial strain design to pilot-scale testing. The project addresses key European biotechnology priorities in energy, environment, chemicals, materials, health, food, and digital innovation. RISE-UP BIO supports the EU Competitiveness Compass and strengthens the European Research Area, incorporating partners from widening countries and extending services to nations like Ukraine. Eligible user entities include all engaged in biotechnology research, including commercial organizations and SMEs. SMEs benefit from an opt-out mechanism to safeguard intellectual property and EU competitive interests. Over half of the requested funding will finance user access projects, each combining multiple service modules delivered by different facilities under the governance of the four RIs. RISE-UP BIO also aims to develop an integrated R&D service catalogue, improve interoperability across life science infrastructures with metadata standards, and provide training to infrastructure staff and users to promote research quality, reproducibility, and open science. The project further explores sustainable funding models via industry and philanthropic support.
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operAtional seNsing lifE technologies for maRIne ecosystemS
The ANERIS project aims to tackle the rapid loss of ocean biodiversity by developing innovative tools and technology for research, monitoring, and management of marine life, including the implementation of a biodiversity information system, the Operational Marine Biology (OMB)
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Aqua Research Infrastructure Services for the health and protection of our unique, oceans, seas and freshwater ecosystems
AQUARIUS provides access to a various research infrastructures to address challenges and explore opportunities for the long-term sustainability of marine and freshwater ecosystems.
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Integrated Research Infrastructure Services for Climate Change Risks
Climate change presents a complex challenge, demanding a deep understanding of its impacts on human systems, natural environments, and production processes. IRISCC is a powerful consortium of leading European research infrastructures. Our collective goal is to empower society to address and strengthen resilience to climate change risks, ultimately fostering a more sustainable future for Europe.
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European Research Infrastructure for Marine Bioprospecting
A research partnership to create a pipeline of marine bioprospecting services to enable the discovery of novel bioactive natural products
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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.
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Imaging data and services for aquatic science
The EU-funded IMAGINE project is developing advanced microscopy technology for studying biological samples. IMAGINE will use these technologies to tackle societal challenges in Europe's seas and make them accessible to the life science community through validation and training.
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Marine biodiversity assessment and prediction across spatial, temporal and human scales
BIOcean5D is a collaborative effort among European institutions to explore marine biodiversity comprehensively. With cutting-edge technologies and extensive research, it aims to understand and preserve marine ecosystems amidst rapid changes in the Anthropocene era. This initiative will generate valuable data, inform ecological theories, develop indicators of ecosystem health, and foster sustainable management of oceans.
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Integrated SERvices supporting a sustainable AGROecological transition.
AgroServ, an EU-funded initiative, pioneers a holistic approach to understand and address challenges in agriculture. By integrating diverse stakeholders and employing transdisciplinary research, it aims to foster resilient and sustainable agroecological systems across Europe. Through living labs, data ecosystems, and community building, AgroServ strives to empower farmers and researchers alike, ensuring impactful insights for evidence-based policymaking and long-term sustainability.
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Research infrastructure services for sustainable aquaculture, fisheries and the blue economy
AQUASERV provides researchers access to top European infrastructures, advancing studies in fisheries, aquaculture, and sustainability, while supporting key EU policies like the Green Deal and Farm to Fork.
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