Mission

The Italian Omics Observatory Network of Marine Biodiversity aims to study, explore, monitor, and enhance the biological richness of Mediterranean marine ecosystems, building on omics disciplines and technologies. It focuses especially on the microscopic components. These invisible but fundamental components are the foundation of the dynamic equilibrium and health of the entire marine ecosystem.

The Network is composed of four Observatories located along the Italian coast, namely: Promontory of Portofino, Gulf of Trieste, Meda Senigallia, and MareChiara Gulf of Naples. These Observatory stations also belong to the European Long-Term Ecological Research (eLTER) network. Each Observatory conducts continuous, long-term observation of its marine site and the consistent collection of samples for omics analyses and data over time.

The Network of Observatories follows a collaborative approach that enables the sharing of methodologies, Standard Operating Procedures, biobanks, curated data and metadata, as well as expertises. This strengthens the research capacity on a broader geographical and thematic scale, in line with global omics observatory initiatives.

The ultimate goal of the network is to identify emerging causes of instability and threats in order to promote the conservation of marine ecosystems, thereby enhancing both basic scientific knowledge and applied research in marine biotechnology and environmental conservation.

The creation of the Italian Omics Observatory Network of Marine Biodiversity is established under the Activity 5 of Spoke 2 of the NBFC-National Biodiversity Future Center NBFC.