REMORA Joint internationalization strategy for CITEB, OOM and OKEANOS

REMORA’s Joint Internationalization Strategy (JIS) establishes a coordinated framework positioning three marine research organizations—CITEB (La Réunion), OKEANOS (Azores), and OOM (Madeira)—as Europe's first Atlantic-Indian Ocean Marine Research Alliance, providing distinctive approaches, data, testbeds, and governance know-how to advance European ocean science and sustainability. This alliance addresses a critical gap: the Atlantic and Indian Ocean Outermost Regions remain underinvestigated, limiting European contributions to global ocean circulation research, biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and marine automation. It transforms distinctive regional assets into high-value contributions for EU partners: Unique Habitats & Biodiversity Hotspot: Living laboratories for climate change validation, conservation methodology testing, and comparative studies with continental species Distributed Ocean Observatory Network: Long-term time series filling critical gaps in global ocean models across data-sparse Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions Modular Marine Technology Platform: Low-cost technology development with deep-sea testing environments and rapid on-site prototyping Lab-to-Ocean Validation Continuum: Complete validation pipeline from controlled mesocosm experiments to open ocean field testing Blue Economy Solutions Factory: Island-scale sustainable aquaculture, selective fisheries expertise, and biotechnology innovation from unique marine biodiversity Marine Governance Hub: Real-world testbeds for spatial planning, participatory governance frameworks, and science-policy advisory to UN agencies The alliance directly supports Mission Ocean, EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, Digital Twin Ocean, Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, and Green Deal marine technology initiatives—positioning the Outermost Regions as Europe's strategic ocean presence in underexplored global basins. The JIS is supported by a comprehensive five-year post-project action plan that leverages REMORA resources alongside complementary funding from regional, national, and EU sources to foster synergies. The strategy is built upon three interconnected priorities: Priority 1: Talent Circulation – Share knowledge and best practices to attract, develop, and retain international researchers through ERA-aligned HR frameworks, ERC/MSCA strategies, and cross-centre mobility programmes. Priority 2: International Connections – Achieve strategic integration in key EU marine research networks, infrastructures (EMSO, EMBRC, JERICO), and partnerships with top-performing institutions through a structured "Map → Match → Manage" approach. Priority 3: Horizon Europe Participation – Establish competitive HE participation with demonstrated coordination capacity through systematic call analysis, enhanced proposal support, and proactive networking with EU champions. "Frontiers of Europe, frontiers of Knowledge—advancing marine science from the outermost regions"