EU Funded Projects
EMODnet (Geology) Project
The European Marine Observation Data Network (EMODnet) is an initiative of the European Commission Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) as part of its Marine Knowledge 2020 strategy. It is a network of organisations supported by the EU’s integrated maritime policy. The main objective of the initiative is to assemble existing marine data, data products and metadata from diverse sources in a uniform way.
The Continental Shelf Department has been participating in the Geology Lot of the EMODnet project for a number of years. The Continental Shelf Department participates as part of a European consortium made up of organisations from around 30 geological surveys surrounding the regional seas of Europe. The Department has been participating in the EMODnet project since October 2013 when the project was in its second phase and has continued participating in all subsequent phases. The EMODnet project is now in its sixth phase and this will be concluded in September 2027.
The project delivered harmonised geology datasets from offshore Europe. The data compiled in the project includes:
- Seabed substrate
- Seafloor geology
- Coastal behaviour
- Geological events and probabilities
- Marine Minerals
- Submerged Landscapes
More information can be found on the EMODnet central portal/ geology portal and the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI) portal.
GeoERA Project
The main objective of GeoERA is to contribute to the optimal exploration, exploitation and management of the subsurface. It consists of 15 research projects aimed to support a more integrated, efficient and publicly accepted use of the subsurface. More information is available from the GeoERA portal.
The projects cover the following four themes:
- Geo-Energy
- Groundwater
- Raw Materials
- Information Platform
45 national and regional geological survey organisations from 32 European countries are taking part in GeoERA. The project is funded under an ERA-NET Co-Fund Action.
The Continental Shelf Department participated in the HotLime project under the geo-energy theme. The HotLime project involves the mapping and assessment of geothermal plays in deep carbonate rocks from ten case study areas in Europe including one from offshore Malta. The project kicked off in June 2018 and was completed in January 2022. Results are available from the GeoERA website.
A Geological Service for Europe (GSEU Project)
The main objective of the GSEU Project is to develop and provide pan-European geological data and information services for the sustainable and safe use of subsurface resources with a focus on critical raw materials (work package 2), geothermal and subsurface storage capacities (work package 3), groundwater dynamics and quality (work package 4), assessment of coastal zone vulnerability and offshore windfarm siting (work package 5) and the standardisation & harmonisation of multiscale geological information (work package 6). The project started on 1 September 2022 and will end on 31 August 2027. The Continental Shelf Department is taking part in work packages 3, 5 and 6.
