The initiative, known as REVERSE, was one of only two scientific proposals out of a total of 360 to receive a 100% score in the Horizon Europe programme’s evaluation
The research will develop scientific tools and predictive models to anticipate future scenarios and support decision-making on environmental policies in the face of disruptions such as global warming, acidification and biodiversity loss
The ECOAQUA University Institute, part of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), through the Biodiversity and Conservation (BIOCON) group, will carry out a project whose main objective will be to understand and quantify the resilience of the oceans to climate change.
This scientific initiative, known as REVERSE, is an international research project focused on studying the resilience of marine ecosystems to climate change, implementing scientific tools and predictive models to anticipate future scenarios and support decision-making on environmental policies.
A sea turtle.
In the words of the project’s principal investigator, Rodrigo Riera, who is also a senior lecturer at the ULPGC, this research aims to analyse “the oceans’ capacity to recover from disturbances such as global warming, acidification and biodiversity loss through the use of advanced climate models, ecological data and artificial intelligence techniques” that facilitate the assessment of this marine resilience.
Furthermore, the scientific initiative, which will run from 1 January 2027 to 1 January 2031, combines interdisciplinary research with advanced training for researchers and collaboration between academic and non-academic sectors.
Specimens of seahorses.
The highest rating
The project achieved a total score of 100 per cent in the Horizon Europe programme evaluation, far exceeding the established threshold of 70 points. It thus became one of only two proposals to achieve this rating out of a total of 360 submitted under the Staff Exchange call.
As the project is coordinated by the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, through the ECOAQUA University Institute, its results will be applicable to the study and management of the archipelago’s marine ecosystems, helping to improve adaptation to climate change in island and coastal environments.
Image showing the team from another of the BIOCON group’s projects taking underwater samples.
In addition to coordinating the project, researchers from the ULPGC will participate in the development of ocean-climate interaction models, data analysis and the generation of resilience indicators. They will also contribute to the training of pre-doctoral researchers through international mobility and training programmes.
Several dozen researchers and lecturers will take part in this research, undertaking visits to the five institutions involved in the project: a university, the UMLP, Marine and Louis Pasteur University (France); a research centre, EAWAG, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Switzerland); a research institute, the Irish Marine Institute (Ireland); a company, ATRINEO; as well as the ULPGC, through ECOAQUA, acting as coordinator.