Fjordlab: A Full-Scale Marine Field Laboratory for Innovation, Research, and Education in Ocean Science and Technology

Fjordlab will be a national field laboratory designed to accelerate innovation in marine autonomy, robotics, ocean observation, and sustainable aquaculture through experimentation in real-world ocean environments. Current research in ocean technology is limited by the lack of accessible infrastructure for full-scale validation of autonomous systems, sensor networks, and digital twin models. The infrastructure spans three coastal locations; Trondheim, Ålesund, and Frϕya in Norway. This manuscript presents the design of Fjordlab, including autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, mobile aquaculture laboratories, and remote operation centers. It also discusses scientific and technical challenges – such as on-board mission planning, situational awareness, and biomass monitoring – that motivate the development of the lab. The digital and data infrastructure enables real-time integration, open-access data sharing, and cross-platform interoperability. Fjordlab is positioned to enhance industrial innovation, improve scientific observations and resource management by validation new technology, reduce operational risk, and facilitate cross-disciplinary research by enabling complex experiments under realistic ocean conditions.