OCEAN CITIZEN

What OCEAN CITIZEN does

OCEAN CITIZEN is a Horizon Europe research project (Grant agreement No. 101093910) operating from January 2023 to December 2026 under the EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030'. The project is coordinated by Prof. Sergio Rossi of Università del Salento and consists of a 22-partner consortium spanning 9 EU countries. It is funded by the European Commission with an EU contribution of €10,608,915 out of a total budget of €11,182,938, and is endorsed by the United Nations. The project does not generate commercial revenue; all outputs (protocols, publications, educational materials) are publicly available.

The project's core technical work centers on marine forest restoration, defined as regeneration of benthic macroalgae, seagrasses and suspension feeders that create three-dimensional living structures. Its technology stack includes the proprietary Smart Enhanced Reef (SER®), a registered trademark covering intelligent reef structures that support biodiversity regeneration; the Floating Reef (FR) for in-water-column deployment; Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) for circular-economy aquaculture; Sea Garden as an integrated underwater garden concept; and ecological succession monitoring supported by eDNA analysis (notably via Alfred Wegener Institute). The flagship pilot is the Underwater Garden Park at Punta Blanca, Tenerife (Canary Islands), supported by research infrastructure from PLOCAN and partner institutions.

OCEAN CITIZEN's go-to-market is community-led rather than commercial. It targets four stakeholder groups: EU Mission Ocean and Waters (primary use-case segment for restoration protocols), schools and educators (delivered via MOOCs, comics and workshops), local communities (citizen science and stakeholder engagement), and research institutions (the 22-partner network). Distribution relies on open-access publications, the Zenodo repository, the oceancitizen.eu website, social media channels, newsletters, webinars, conference presentations, and cascade funding programs that pass EU grants to third-party restoration projects. Administrative management is handled by Crowe Accelera Management S.L. in Barcelona.

Name

OCEAN CITIZEN

Legal name

Crowe Accelera Management, S,L.

Website

https://oceancitizen.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OCEAN CITIZEN is a Horizon Europe research project (Jan 2023 – Dec 2026) developing a replicable marine forest restoration protocol across 5 European ecozones, using Smart Enhanced Reef (SER®) technology and a 22-partner consortium to serve the EU Mission Ocean, schools, local communities and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Ecosystem Restoration

NAICS

Aquaculture (11251), Aquaculture (1125)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine forest restoration
• Coastal ecosystem restoration
• Citizen science education
• Marine biodiversity research
• Ocean literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Research Grant Funding: Horizon Europe research project funded by the European Commission under Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. EU Contribution of €10,608,915 out of total budget of €11,182,938. No commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OCEAN CITIZEN develops and tests innovative coastal restoration technologies, principally the proprietary Smart Enhanced Reef (SER®) and Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA), deployed across five European ecozones with the Underwater Garden Park in Tenerife as the primary pilot site. The project also delivers educational offerings (three-chapter comic series, MOOC on citizen science, Blue Talks webinar miniseries), hands-on citizen science activities, and open access scientific deliverables and publications.

Product overview

OCEAN CITIZEN is a Horizon Europe research project (not a commercial product company) focused on developing an innovative and sustainable protocol for coastal restoration and conservation. The project operates a portfolio of interconnected offerings: Smart Enhanced Reef (SER®) artificial reef technology and Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) as core restoration technologies; an Underwater Garden Park (Sea Garden concept) in Tenerife as a pilot site and public engagement venue; educational products including a comic series, MOOC on citizen science, and webinar series; and scientific outputs including deliverables, publications, and newsletters. The project spans 5 ecozones across 9 EU countries with 22 partners from January 2023 to December 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Smart Enhanced Reef (SER®) Proprietary intelligent artificial reef technology that provides substrate for marine life to regenerate and increase local biodiversity; deployed at OCEAN CITIZEN pilot sites including the Punta Blanca Underwater Garden Park in Tenerife.
• Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) Aquaculture approach combining species from different trophic levels connected through nutrient flows under a circular economy approach, minimising energy losses and environmental deterioration; deployed in OCEAN CITIZEN pilot sites for sustainable seafood production integrated with restoration activities.
• Sea Garden Underwater garden concept that responds to the specific regeneration needs of degraded ecosystems in an intelligent and integrated way, combining Smart Enhanced Reefs (SER®) with scientific activity and public outreach; realised as the Punta Blanca Underwater Garden Park in Tenerife.
• Underwater Garden Park (Punta Blanca) Visitor-accessible underwater park in Tenerife providing opportunities for citizens to experience and engage with ocean restoration and ecosystem protection through the Sea Garden concept and SER® deployments.
• OCEAN CITIZEN Comic Series Educational comic series exploring marine forest restoration science through accessible storytelling; three chapters released covering marine forests, restoration challenges, and ecological succession. Available for download from project resources.
• MOOC on Citizen Science Massive Open Online Course teaching how science and society can work together to restore oceans; covers ocean literacy, marine forests, restoration principles, and citizen science participation. Hosted by SUBMON.
• Webinar Series (Blue Talks) Educational webinar series including 'Understanding Blue Forests' (three-part) and 'Restoring across depths' miniseries, exploring marine forest ecology, blue carbon, ecosystem connectivity, and restoration methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• BAAC-01 aims to award at least 5 grants ranging from EUR 200,000 to EUR 2 million each to innovative projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Università del SalentocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Project coordinator institution led by Prof. Sergio Rossi. Hosts annual meetings and provides overall project coordination for the 22-partner consortium across 9 EU countries.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national research agency contributing to marine biodiversity studies, mesophotic coral ecosystem research, and restoration activities in Tenerife pilot site.
• National University of Galway (NUIG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIrish university partner studying fish density, biodiversity, and mesophotic area research as part of the restoration activities.
• ICM-CSIC (Institute of Marine Sciences - Spanish National Research Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish marine research institute leading blue carbon studies, ecosystem services research, and hosting project meetings with Mission Ocean endorsement.
• CoNISMa (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian marine science consortium including Università di Bologna, Genova, and Trieste. Focuses on benthic communities, ecological succession, and macroalgae restoration.
• IMEDEA (CSIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies studying seagrass performance, upper thermal limits, and seagrass restoration.
• AWI (Alfred Wegener Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman polar and marine research institute collecting eDNA samples and conducting biodiversity assessments through environmental DNA analysis.
• ULPGC (Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish university studying mesophotic coral ecosystems and population biodiversity in shallow and mesophotic areas.
• UGI (Underwater Garden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides logistical support for diving operations, coordinates with diving centers, and supports underwater restoration activities and visual documentation.
• SUBMONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine conservation organization leading communication workshop, citizen engagement activities, and underwater gardening coordination.
• InnoceanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine conservation partner contributing incubation station activities and biodiversity monitoring at pilot sites.
• PLOCAN (Plataforma Oceanográfica de Canarias)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanary Islands oceanographic platform hosting aquaculture experimental sites and contributing to IMTA activities and sensor installation.
• Crowe Accelera Management S.L.coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAdministrative management partner based in Barcelona, Spain. Responsible for website maintenance, disclaimer, and privacy policy administration.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject endorsed by the UN in May 2022. Presented at UN in New York and UN Ocean Conference in Barcelona.
• ANERIS ProjectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborating on monitoring and evaluation of benthic macrofauna regeneration sites using Operational Marine Biology concepts.
• PREP4BLUEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHorizon Europe project providing citizen engagement webinars and training for Mission Ocean & Waters activities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Project Seagrass: UK-based charity running citizen-science-driven seagrass and marine restoration projects across Europe; directly comparable as a non-profit marine restoration initiative combining scientific research with public engagement.

Broad incumbents

• The Ocean Cleanup: Larger, well-funded marine conservation organization operating across multiple ocean health themes (plastics, river cleanup); overlaps thematically in marine ecosystem restoration but at much greater global scale and different target problem.
• REV Ocean: Norwegian foundation supporting marine research, technology development, and ocean restoration; comparable as a large-scale European marine restoration knowledge hub with both research and policy engagement.
• Blue Marine Foundation: UK-based ocean conservation charity advancing marine protected areas and marine restoration across Europe; comparable as a policy-oriented European marine restoration advocacy organization.

Emerging players

• Healthy Seas: Europe-based initiative focused on marine habitat restoration through removing fishing ghost gear and supporting reef regeneration; comparable in mission and Europe-based stakeholder engagement approach.
• Seawilding: UK-based community-led marine restoration social enterprise restoring seagrass and native oyster habitats; directly comparable as a community-driven coastal restoration organization with citizen science and stakeholder engagement.
• ECOCEAN: France-based organization pioneering Biohut® artificial reef technology for coastal biodiversity restoration; comparable as a Europe-focused marine restoration technology developer with proprietary reef IP.

Others

• Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML): UK marine research institute leading multiple EU and NERC-funded marine science projects; comparable as a research institution collaborating on Horizon Europe marine ecosystem science programs adjacent to OCEAN CITIZEN's consortium model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oceancitizen_eu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@oceancitizen_eu/?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/oceancitizen.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oceancitizen
• Instagraminstagram.com/oceancitizen_eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OCEAN CITIZEN