The amount of solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface exceeds the global energy demand of humans by about 12 000 times. However, despite huge efforts in the scientific community, harvesting and efficient exploitation of this renewable and green energy source is still a major challenge for humanity. In the marine world, photosynthetic bacteria and algae (microalgae and seaweeds) are the predominant primary producers and many different organisms (e.g. corals, giant clams or photosynthetic sea slugs) cooperate synergistically with algae and bacteria for optimal solar light harvesting and conversion into chemically bound energy for biosynthesis and growth. Inspired by such organisms, the “Bio-inspired and Bionic materials for enhanced photosynthesis (BEEP)” project aims to train researchers in a truly interdisciplinary setting to develop novel bio-mimetic approaches for light management. BEEP’s specific mission is to design and manufacture hybrid systems combining living organisms and artificial materials: We envision that by understanding the critical aspects of complex symbiotic interaction in marine organisms we will be able to create new bionic and bio-inspired system, such as more efficient bio-photoreactors. This truly interdisciplinary research requires an intersectorial approach by specialized and skilled scientists from different disciplines, combining expertise from marine biology (UCPH, UN, NHM), and microbiology (HOEKMINE) with expertise in optics and spectroscopy (UCAM, IIT, UCL), chemistry (UNISTRA, UNIBA, BP), and advanced microscopy (TESCAN). BEEP will kick-start an unprecedented interdisciplinary European research training effort in the emerging area of marine biomimetics with a concomitant strong emphasis on science outreach and exploitation.