GAIKER works on the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems

The European project TRANSEATION will develop and demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid blue-grey infrastructures in marine and coastal areas.

GAIKER Technology Centre, a member of the Basque Research & Technology Alliance, BRTA, is participating in the European project TRANSEATION, whose ultimate goal is to protect and restore the health of marine ecosystems by combining nature-based solutions, social participation and digitalisation.

This research aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid marine infrastructures combining nature-based solutions (NBS) as a transformative means to preserve marine biodiversity and ecosystem services, while addressing key societal challenges through the implementation of three use cases: off-shore wind platforms, coastal protection infrastructure and an aquaculture infrastructure.

It is in the development of the low trophic level aquaculture infrastructure that GAIKER is participating. In this demonstrator, led by the AZTI Technology Centre and in collaboration with the company ITSASKORDA, nature-based solutions for the European aquaculture sector will be implemented through the development of bio-based compounds, technical monitoring of capture and cultivation systems during use, the study of compostability, the recycling of biological ropes, and the evaluation of environmental impact.

With this work, GAIKER seeks to consolidate its position in the field of sustainable and bio-based materials, particularly in new applications with potential demand for the elimination of conventional plastic materials. It also wants to broaden the scope of the results obtained in projects it has previously carried out.

Promoted by the European Union Commission and led by the Naval and Maritime Technology Centre (CTN), this research has a duration of 3 years (2024-2027) and has a network of sixteen partners and collaborators, including research centres, industrial companies and environmental management organisations.

The TRANSEATION project represents a significant advance in ecosystem management through the development and application of hybrid blue-grey infrastructures in marine and coastal areas.