Gaia Blu Ocean Generation Academy
Join CNR’s oceanographic research activities. Take part in RV Gaia Blu expeditions as an Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP)
- The initiative
- Who can apply
- How it works
- 2026 campaigns
- Admission requirements and practical information
- How to apply
The National Research Council launches Gaia Blu Ocean Generation Academy, a structured education program that integrates the presence of young generations as Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOP) in the operational scientific campaigns of the research vessel RV Gaia Blu.
The program is born in response to one of the global challenges of the UN Ocean Decade 2021–2030 to create and grow the next generation of ocean professionals, capable of helping to build the ocean we want, each with their own specificity.
RV Gaia Blu is not just a research infrastructure: the vessel becomes a permanent educational platform and an open laboratory for ocean citizenship. Every oceanographic campaign becomes a real educational opportunity, where new generations interact with researchers, technologists, and technicians, follow daily scientific operations, and experience firsthand the rhythms, methods, and challenges of marine research.
The project is a collaboration between CNR, ECOP Programme (Italy), and the Italian National Decade Committee.
The program is open to Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) with a STEM background, aged 35 or under, who are in the following stages of their educational or professional path: Master’s students, PhD candidates, research fellows, recent graduates, and professionals working in marine sciences and related fields. In subsequent editions, the program will progressively expand to a broader audience, including high school profiles and non-scientific backgrounds, in line with the STEAM approach that characterizes the initiative's long-term, inclusive vision.
The Academy is organized annually. The 2026 edition includes two main phases:
1. On-board experience: selected ECOPs embark on RV Gaia Blu for the entire duration of the assigned campaign, participating as active observers in all scientific operations such as sampling, CTD profiling, net operations, onboard analysis, and daily scientific meetings. Specific training activities are also provided. Participants without STCW certification can’t perform operational duties. Each campaign is also presented through a public webinar led by the Chief Scientist. Starting from the second edition, the onboard experience will be preceded by an online Blue Training Program developed by CNR.
2. Final event: at the end of each edition, CNR organizes an annual celebration event where participants present their experience and meet the scientific community and the national and international ECOP network.
The RV Gaia Blu campaigns participating in the 2026 edition cover some of the most relevant research areas for the Mediterranean and the goals of the UN Ocean Decade: from coastal geology to deep-sea oceanography, from
mesopelagic ecology to the biology of commercial fish species, and from seafloor geodynamics to the monitoring of long-term observation infrastructures.
Each campaign is presented by its Chief Scientist through an open webinar, providing detailed insights into the scientific objectives, study area, methodologies used, and the composition of the scientific team. Participation in the webinars is open to everyone and does not imply any application obligation.
Webinar dates and registration links are published on this page and through official CNR institutional channels.
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GOALS26 — Geology and OceAnography from Land to Sea Area of Interest: Northern Adriatic Sea Dates: June 10–18, 2026 Embarkation: Trieste Disembarkation: Ravenna Chief Scientist: Alessandro Remia, CNR-ISMAR
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The campaign integrates two complementary scientific objectives: the high-resolution geological mapping of submarine sand deposits on the northern Adriatic margin — essential for planning coastal nourishment interventions for the Emilia-Romagna Region — and the long-term monitoring of the LTER site 'Po Delta and Romagna Coast', one of Italy's longest-standing coastal ecological and biogeochemical observatories. Equipment: EM-2040 and EM712 multibeam, Chirp sonar, gravity corer, CTD/rosette system, sediment samplers. Key topics: marine geology and seafloor mapping, sedimentary dynamics, coastal erosion and climate adaptation, marine biochemistry, long-term ecological monitoring. [→ Discover the campaign] [→ Register for the webinar] |
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TUNSIC 2026 — Tuna Ichthyoplankton Survey in the Central Mediterranean Area of Interest: Ionian Sea Dates: June 22–July 3, 2026 Embarkation: Palermo-Trapani Disembarkation: Palermo-Trapani Chief Scientist: Marco Torri, CNR-ISMed |
An international campaign conducted within the framework of the ICCAT-GBYP (Bluefin Tuna Research Programme) to study the spatial distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) eggs, larvae, and juveniles in the central Mediterranean. The collected data directly feed into the stock assessment models used by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) to define fishing quotas. Main equipment: Bongo nets, Tucker trawl, Manta net, EK60 acoustic system, CTD/rosette, corer. Key topics: bluefin tuna biology and distribution, plankton ecology, molecular genetics and DNA barcoding, biological acoustics, microplastics, paleoceanography. [→ Discover the campaign] [→ Register for the webinar] . |
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MESO-MED — Mesopelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Western Mediterranean Sea Area of Interest: Western Mediterranean (Sardinia–Balearic Islands) Dates: July 17–August 5, 2026 Embarkation: Livorno Disembarkation: Naples Chief Scientist: Fabio Campanella, CNR-IRBIM |
The first integrated multidisciplinary survey of the mesopelagic ecosystem in the Western Mediterranean, focusing on the North Balearic Front (NBF) zone — one of the most dynamic frontal systems in the Mediterranean, where Atlantic and Mediterranean waters converge in a context of intense mesoscale variability. Central objective: to characterize the structure, composition, and daily vertical migrations of deep scattering layers (DSL) and associated mesopelagic communities, and to understand how hydrographic gradients and mesoscale variability influence their distribution. The campaign will include continuous monitoring of cetaceans and seabirds as indicators of trophic coupling. Main equipment: EK60 multi-frequency acoustics, WBAT broadband, CTD/ADCP, SeaExplorer glider, WP2/Bongo/Tucker trawl nets, eDNA metabarcoding. Key topics: mesopelagic ecology, acoustic scattering layers, vertical migrations, marine biodiversity and eDNA, physical-biological coupling, biological carbon pump, marine mammals and seabirds. [→ Discover the campaign] [→ Register for the webinar] |
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S2S-CALABRIA — Sediment Source-to-Sink along the Calabrian Tyrrhenian Margin Area of Interest: Calabrian Tyrrhenian margin (Capo Vaticano – Strait of Messina) Dates: August 7–17, 2026 Embarkation: Naples Disembarkation: Catania Chief Scientist: Martina Pierdomenico, CNR-IGAG |
A multidisciplinary campaign dedicated to studying the source-to-sink system along the Calabrian Tyrrhenian margin: from Calabrian river basins to submarine canyons, down to deep-sea depositional fans. A central theme is tracking microplastic transport along this pathway, from terrestrial sources to the oceanic sink. The campaign has an explicit training focus for PhD students and early-career researchers, and is structured around collecting original data that will directly feed into ongoing theses at partner universities. Main equipment: high-resolution multibeam, reflection seismics (Chirp + Sparker), corer, CTD/L-ADCP, Manta net, gliders, surface drifters. Key topics: marine geology and underwater geomorphology, source-to-sink sedimentary dynamics, microplastics in the deep-sea environment, geohazards (submarine landslides, flash floods), bottom currents and contourite drifts, stratigraphy and paleoceanography. [→ Discover the campaign] [→ Register for the webinar]
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MARSiCo-2026-II — Management and Retrieval of Submerged Infrastructures in the Sicily and Corsica Channel Area of Interest: Ligurian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily Channel, Western Ionian Sea Dates: October 16–29, 2026 Embarkation: Livorno Disembarkation: Catania Chief Scientist: Mireno Borghini, CNR-ISMAR |
A series of four campaigns (two in 2026, two in 2027) dedicated to the maintenance of long-term instrumented moorings that CNR-ISMAR manages in key Mediterranean chokepoints — the Corsica Channel (active since 1985), Pantelleria P1 (1,300 m depth), and the Galatea mooring in the western Ionian Sea (EMSO node) — and to the acquisition of repeated CTD hydrographic sections for the Med-SHIP program, a Mediterranean contribution to GO-SHIP and a project endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade. The generated data are essential for understanding Mediterranean circulation variability and its link to global climate change. Key topics: physical oceanography, Mediterranean circulation, marine biochemistry, long-term observation infrastructures, autonomous systems (Argo, drifters), real-time data transmission. [→ Discover the campaign] [→ Register for the webinar] ] |
Admission Requirements and practical information
The following criteria are required for the 2026 edition:
- Maximum age of 35 at the time of embarkation;
- A STEM background;
- Affiliation with a legal entity (e.g., university, research institution, company, NGO, etc.);
No prior at-sea experience is required.
Practical information
What CNR provides. CNR guarantees the selected participants, entirely free of charge: accommodation on board the RV Gaia Blu for the full duration of the campaign, full board, and access to all scientific and training activities.
What is covered by the participant. Travel expenses to and from the ports of embarkation and disembarkation are the sole responsibility of the participant. CNR does not advance or reimburse these costs. It is highly recommended to purchase travel tickets only after receiving written confirmation of selection, as campaign operational dates may be subject to change.
Safety. ECOPs coming on board the RV Gaia Blu will be classified as observer-passengers: they will therefore shadow the activities and operations without conducting them firsthand. ECOPs holding STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) certifications may instead actively participate in operations. In this case, they must hold Protection & Indemnity insurance and a Maritime Worker Medical Certificate; otherwise, they will act as observer-passengers.
An open call is published on this page for each campaign.
To apply, candidates must submit the following documents by the deadline specified in the call:
- Curriculum vitae (free format, maximum 2 pages)
- Motivation letter (maximum 1 page)
- Reference letter (maximum 1 page), if applicable
- A formal declaration stating that the applicant is able to cover all expenses related to the experience. CNR does not advance or reimburse any costs (see the Practical Information section). Applications missing this declaration will not be considered.
Documents must be submitted in PDF format to: navegaiablu@cnr.it with the subject line: [CAMPAIGN ACRONYM] – ECOP Application – [FIRST NAME LAST NAME]
Example: MESO-MED – ECOP Application – Maria Rossi
Application Deadlines
- GOALS26: by June 4, 2026
- TUNSIC 2026: by June 15, 2026, 4:00 PM CET
- MESOMED: by June 12, 2026, 4:00 PM CET
- S2S-CALABRIA: by July 1, 2026, 4:00 PM CET
- MARSiCo-2026-II: by September 3, 2026, 4:00 PM CET
Last update: 05/06/2026