From 15 to 17 April 2026, the SUBMERSE project held its final event at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, bringing together consortium partners, scientific communities, infrastructure operators and industry representatives to share results and discuss the future of underwater fibre-optic sensing.

Funded by Horizon Europe, SUBMERSE demonstrated the potential of repurposing submarine fibre-optic cables as scientific instruments capable of providing near-real-time data for seismology, oceanography, marine biology and tsunami monitoring. RedCLARA is one of the 24 members of the consortium driving this initiative, helping to strengthen international scientific cooperation and the strategic use of advanced research infrastructures.

During the meeting, participants reviewed progress made at various deployment sites across Europe and agreed on the need to continue building shared frameworks for collaboration and data governance to scale these capabilities at a pan-European level. The conclusion of the project leaves a solid foundation for new scientific applications and for greater integration of fibre-sensing into the research infrastructure ecosystem.

Alongside the final event, the project published the Policy Brief ‘Opportunities and policy perspectives of subsea fibre-sensing technology’, with recommendations for European Union policymakers on how to harness the potential of this technology. Read the full article and download the Policy Brief here.