Referència del projecte: PID2024-155344OB-C32
Data d’inici: 01/09/2025
Data de finalització: 31/08/2029
SMART-ME (Smart Monitoring of Marine Ecosystems) is a research project focused on addressing societal challenges in marine science, management and technology, with particular attention to food, bioeconomy, natural resources and climate. The project addresses the technological challenges involved in creating deep-sea observatories in sentinel areas, providing new ways to collect and process data to monitor the recovery of deep continental margins.
The project addresses the technological challenges involved in creating deep-sea observatories in sentinel areas, providing new ways to collect and process data to monitor the recovery of deep continental margins.
SMART-ME proposes two complementary observatories in the North-Western Mediterranean: OBSEA-TECH, a nearshore site for testing and validating new technologies, and OBSEA-DEEP, a permanent deep-sea station for long-term ecosystem observation.
This region has high benthic biodiversity and habitats that are vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. Warming waters are affecting the entire water column, shifting the distribution of commercial species such as deep-water rose shrimp and Norway lobster, with consequences for local fisheries and the economy.
OBSEA-DEEP will support continuous monitoring of ecosystems and their recovery, helping assess habitat resilience and inform the sustainable management of fisheries resources. OBSEA-TECH will mature and validate the technologies that make this long-term monitoring more efficient, reliable and scalable.
Located in the Bol de Tossa no-take zone, at around 70 metres depth, OBSEA-TECH will provide a controlled real-world environment in which SMART-ME technologies can be tested, refined and validated.
It will be used to increase the readiness of smart robotic systems, including autonomous vehicles, dynamic landers, sensors, acoustic communications and data-processing tools. Once proven reliable, these technologies will be transferred to the deep-sea observatory for long-term operation.
OBSEA-DEEP will be established in the Palamós Cigala no-take zone, at 350-400 metres depth and around 20 nautical miles offshore. It will enable observation well beyond divers’ reach, using a network of fixed and mobile platforms to collect ecological and environmental data over long time periods.
The station will monitor habitat recovery and resilience, with particular attention to the recovery of Norway lobsterand the sustainable management of fisheries resources.
Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC)
Project coordination | Budget: €235,000
SMART-ME-ECOFISH
This subproject develops the robotic technologies required to extend ecological monitoring capabilities.
University of Girona – CIRS
Budget: €200,000
SMART-ME-TECH
This subproject develops the robotic technologies required to extend ecological monitoring capabilities.
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – SARTI
Budget: €231,250
SMART-ME-NET
This subproject develops the technological infrastructure required to establish a cooperative network of autonomous underwater observation platforms.
Categories: News, Media Coverage, Conferences & Workshops
On July 21, members of the SMART-ME Tech team from the University of Girona (UdG) met with representatives of SMART-ME NET from the Polytechnic University
Event: Terra de Mar Festival Location: Palamós, Spain Date: 23–24 May 2026 Visitors: 18,000 More information about the event: Terra de Mar Festival programme The
Contributing to global and European goals
UN Sustainable Development Goal 14
EU Nature Restoration Regulation
One envisioned application of LEMURS is the autonomous deployment of underwater sensor networks. An intervention AUV can detect, grasp, transport, and precisely place hydrophones on the seabed, forming optimal monitoring grids without the need for human intervention or large vessels.