The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to shape the European Ocean Observation Initiative, one of the cornerstones of the European Ocean Pact. The initiative will improve access to actionable marine knowledge for everyone who relies on the ocean and make Europe a global leader in ocean observation and the development of related technologies.

The call for evidence will be open until 27 February 2026, with the Commission seeking a wide range of contributions from stakeholders, experts and citizens.

You can see the EU press release on the topic here: Commission seeks feedback on the Ocean Observation Initiative - Oceans and fisheries.

The Call for Evidence can be found here: A European Ocean Observation Initiative.

SIOS is looking for contributions to the State of Environmental Science in Svalbard (SESS) report 2026.

The annual SESS report series, published by Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System (SIOS), is an arena to highlight current knowledge of the environment of Svalbard. It is also a platform for open sharing of ideas and recommendations on how to develop the Svalbard Earth Observing System to enable a holistic understanding of the Earth System of Svalbard and the Arctic in general. SESS report contributions are written by international, multidisciplinary teams led by researchers from SIOS member institutions. All contributions undergo peer review. Authors can contribute through review chapters that synthesise existing knowledge, analyses of trends and processes based on data, or updates to chapters from previous SESS reports.

Proposal submission deadline: 4 February 2026 - Read more and submit a propsal: https://sios-svalbard.org/SESS_Issue9

A multinational scientific team led by UiT, headed by ISP Director Guiliana Panieri, has uncovered the deepest known gas hydrate cold seep on the planet. The discovery was made during the Ocean Census Arctic Deep – EXTREME24 expedition and reveals a previously unknown ecosystem thriving at 3,640 metres on the Molloy Ridge in the Greenland Sea. The groundbreaking findings regarding the Freya Hydrate Mounds, which hold scientific significance and implications for Arctic governance and sustainable development, have recently been published in Nature Communication. -https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1110764 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67165-x

The call for proposals for the new edition of the Genoa Science Festival, which will be held from October 22 to November 1, 2026, is now officially open. Proposals can be submitted until Tuesday, February 17, 2026: the call will close strictly on the date indicated. For information: Festival della Scienza