ORBIS and MARCONNECT establish a new synergy in maritime security

On 17 September 2026, the ORBIS and MARCONNECT projects came together for a synergy meeting, providing an opportunity for the two teams to present their respective activities, exchange insights and explore potential areas for future collaboration.

MARCONNECT – Securing Europe’s MARitime domain against threats through vessel-CONNECTed services is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA), launched in November 2025 for a duration of 36 months. The project is coordinated by SOFTWARE IMAGINATION & VISION SRL (SIMAVI) and brings together organisations from Romania, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Cyprus and Finland.

MARCONNECT aims to establish a scalable, secure and interoperable maritime surveillance ecosystem that enhances EU border management and maritime situational awareness by integrating civilian vessels into a real-time data-sharing network. Its overall goal is also to strengthen Europe’s maritime security capabilities while aligning public safety objectives with private-sector incentives.

At the core of the project is the development of a Vessel-Connected Services (VCS) framework enabling the secure sharing of outward-looking sensor data. MARCONNECT also aims to develop a decentralised platform integrating civilian vessel data with Coast Guard command-and-control systems, ensure interoperability with existing maritime surveillance infrastructures, develop a civilian-centric data-to-service business model, and validate its ecosystem through real use cases involving Coast Guards and Law Enforcement Agencies. The project also addresses compliance with EU data protection, privacy, ethical and security frameworks.

Although ORBIS and MARCONNECT pursue different approaches, both projects operate within the broader field of European maritime security and address areas related to maritime surveillance and situational awareness. The synergy meeting therefore offered a valuable opportunity to better understand each project’s work and discuss potential opportunities for knowledge exchange, mutual dissemination and future collaboration.

Through this new connection, ORBIS and MARCONNECT will remain in contact and explore opportunities to exchange knowledge and increase the visibility of their respective activities and results.

 Learn more about MARCONNECT👉https://marconnect-project.eu/