We are standing at the dawn of a century that will be largely affected by how we as a society are able to manage our oceans and their resources. Marine and Maritime Research has a critical role to play in developing our understanding of the seas and advance technology so that we can develop their economic potential in a sustainable manner. The COLUMBUS project intends to capitalise on the EC’s significant research by ensuring accessibility and uptake of research Knowledge Outputs by end-users (policy, industry, science and wider society). COLUMBUS will ensure measurable value creation from research investments contributing to sustainable Blue Growth within the timeframe of the project. Adopting proven methodologies and building on significant past work, COLUMBUS will first identify end-user needs and priorities. It will then set about identifying and collecting “Knowledge Outputs” from past and current EC projects. Rigorous analysis will take place to identify specific applications and end-users. Transfer will be achieved and measured through tailor-made knowledge transfer. All knowledge collected will be made accessible the pre-existing Marine Knowledge Gate. To achieve the above, COLUMBUS has brought together a multi-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder team representing all aspects of the research value chain from funding agencies to end-users. Key strategic initiatives and networks further strengthen and provide a strong vehicle for project legacy. A network of 9 Competence Nodes, each with a “Knowledge Fellow” and support team across Europe will provide the necessary critical mass (470pm of effort) to ensure full thematic and spatial coverage. COLUMBUS will also carry out strategic actions to enhance the visibility and impact of research to stakeholders and European Citizen’s. Furthermore working with funding agencies and stakeholders, COLUMBUS will examine the feasibility of improved systems and processes to ensure measurable value creation from research.

The trend in navigational accidents no longer appears to decrease. In a Formal Safety Assessment (IMO NAV59-6, Annex 1) 5.544 navigational and 7.275 other accidents resulted in the loss of 6.264 lives (2001-2010). The coincide of EU policies on safer and more efficient waterborne operations and in particular the e-maritime initiative with IMO’s strategy for e-navigation opens a unique window of opportunity to influence the maritime sector and make substantial impact. Funding of EfficienSea 2 will enable the consortium to exploit this window of opportunity, supporting EU policies and marine traffic management through services to: 1. Improve navigational safety and efficiency 2. Improve Arctic navigation and emergency response 3. Decrease administrative burdens 4. Improve environmental monitoring & enforcement Lasting impact will be ensured by five enabling actions: 1. Development of the Maritime Cloud – a communication framework for both e-maritime and e-navigation - enabling efficient sharing of information between all maritime stakeholders 2. Maturing emerging communication technologies, improving ships connectivity 3. Proactive facilitation of standardisation to maximize adoption and impact 4. Showcasing solutions in two very different geographic areas. Web-based initial implementation of the services will be done in the Arctic and the Baltic 5. Ensure an ambitious upgrade of international maritime safety regimes through a strong participation in regulatory bodies including EU and IMO EfficienSea 2 has gathered a unique level of competence in a consortium of 32 partners from 10 countries representing authorities, academia, international organisations as well as equipment manufacturers combining all the right capacities for effectively achieving these ambitious objectives.