Bringing digital innovation closer to the people managing and protecting Europe’s coasts, AETHERIA held its kick-off meeting in Heraklion, Crete, on 5–7 October 2026. Coordinated by the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), the Horizon Europe-funded project has brought together representatives of 20 European partners from research institutes, technology companies, civil society organizations and public authorities.
AETHERIA will connect artificial intelligence, including generative AI, with Earth and Ocean digital twins, turning complex environmental simulations into accessible, localised assessments and decision-support services for coastal planning, climate adaptation and risk preparedness. Its multilingual interface will enable people to ask questions in their own words, examine how different scenarios might unfold and assess options for addressing flooding, coastal erosion or marine pollution.
To ensure that these services respond to real-world needs, stakeholder engagement is embedded in the project from the outset. A co-design workshop with stakeholders from Crete, held back-to-back with the kick-off meeting, provided an early opportunity to put this approach into practice. Participants described the types of decisions they take in managing coastal areas, identified gaps in available information and formulated questions they would ask an AI-based system. Their contributions will help shape the project’s first user profiles and system requirements.
MIO-ECSDE plays a leading role in this people-centered approach by coordinating AETHERIA’s stakeholder engagement and the development of participatory demonstration activities, ensuring that local authorities, civil protection service, civil society organizations, young people and underrepresented groups contribute to shaping the project’s tools. By bringing local knowledge and community priorities into their development, MIO-ECSDE will work to make these services accessible, relevant and useful to both technical and non-technical users.
The solutions will be developed and tested across four complementary pilot contexts: East Mediterranean (Crete and Cyprus), the Varna Port and Danube River Mouth (Bulgaria), the Cabo de Gata–Níjar Natural Park (Spain) and the Oslo Fjord and Hvaler Archipelago (Norway).
Through these pilot activities, AETHERIA will seek to demonstrate how AI-powered Digital Twin technologies can support more informed, inclusive and effective coastal management. The project will also develop practical tools, educational resources and policy guidance to facilitate the wider uptake of its solutions and contribute to coastal resilience across Europe.
Read more about the 36-month AETHERIA project here
