OCEOMICS, a new Horizon Europe-funded project (Grant Agreement No.101291290), officially starts today with the aim of advancing marine bioprospecting through a multidisciplinary, industry-driven approach that combines genomic-based computational screening, artificial intelligence and biotechnological tools. Over the next four years, the consortium will work to discover, characterise, optimise, scale up and demonstrate the production of new marine bioactive combinations for cosmetic applications.
Marine environments hold significant but still underexplored potential for the development of sustainable natural products with unique properties. OCEOMICS has been designed to help move beyond conventional trial-and-error approaches by integrating digital tools with biotechnology to improve how new bioactive compounds are identified, evaluated and produced.
The project will focus on a range of new bioactive compounds, and these will be investigated for their potential use in cosmetic formulations with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, skin barrier-supporting and UV-protecting effects.
To do so, OCEOMICS will combine computational methods and artificial intelligence with marine bioprospecting, metabolic engineering, bioproduction and purification processes. The project will also apply Safe and Sustainable by Design principles from the outset, with the goal of supporting innovation that is scientifically robust, environmentally responsible and aligned with safety considerations for both workers and end users.
Beyond the scientific and technological work, OCEOMICS is also intended to strengthen collaboration across disciplines and geographies. By bringing together partners from Europe and New Zealand, the project creates a framework for cooperation between northern and southern hemisphere actors and expands access to marine biodiversity and complementary expertise.
The project is coordinated by AINIA and will run from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2030. The consortium’s kick-off meeting will take place in Valencia, Spain, from 4 to 5 June.
“By integrating advances in genomic analyses, digital methods and biotechnology, OCEOMICS aims to move marine biodiscovery towards more targeted, data-driven approaches. Bringing together expertise across research, technology and industry, the consortium will work to accelerate the identification, optimisation and scalable development of sustainable cosmetic bioactives.”
Kristie Tanner, AINIA, EU Project Leader
OCEOMICS has received €5.48 million in EU funding under the Horizon Europe programme and is being implemented as a Horizon Europe Innovation Action. The project brings together 12 partners with expertise spanning biotechnology, computational sciences, marine research, process development, sustainability assessment and industrial application.
About OCEOMICS
OCEOMICS stands for Ocean Computational Exploration and Analytics for the Novel Bioactive Molecules’ Discovery and Their Exploitation in Cosmetics. The project aims to establish a new approach to marine bioprospecting by integrating digital technologies and biotechnological tools to support the discovery and development of novel marine compounds for cosmetic use.
The OCEOMICS consortium brings together the following partners: AINIA (Spain); KVELOCE (Spain); INNOVARUM (Spain); deeplab.ai (Greece); WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY (the Netherlands); PARTICULA GROUP (Croatia); IDENER AI (Spain); STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN (Italy); Callaghan Innovation (New Zealand); CAWTHRON INSTITUTE (New Zealand); CELABOR (Belgium); and UNILEVER (United Kingdom).
Funding statement
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101291290.
