REMORA is pleased to share its contribution to the Policy Brief “Clustering for Societal Impact”, published by the All-Atlantic Projects Portfolio (H2020-BG-08-2018-2019). This policy document, produced through collective effort by a broad coalition of EU-funded marine research projects, addresses a fundamental question in contemporary research governance: can we generate scientific knowledge more effectively, and translate it into societal impact more rapidly?
The case for clustering
The Policy Brief argues that the tools already exist to improve both the co-production and the delivery of research impact – if funders and project consortia are willing to use them. Its core recommendations centre on four levers:
- Open ideation and open proposals, to bring in the best ideas regardless of institutional size or geography.
- Contractual flexibility, to allow consortia to adapt as projects evolve and new evidence emerges.
- Clustering with intent – not as a reporting exercise, but as a genuine strategy for amplifying collective impact across complementary projects.
- Metrics that go beyond counting outputs, and focus instead on systemic, societal change.
The Brief was presented at the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum 2026, held in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (15–16 April 2026), gathering researchers, funders, and policymakers from both sides of the Atlantic.
A collective achievement
This Policy Brief is the result of collaboration among a wide coalition of EU-funded projects, including AtlantECO, LORELEI-X, ASTRAL, AquaVitae, triatlas, iAtlantic, EuroSEAS, SEA4Future, MarineGuardian, and ECO-CATCH, among others. REMORA’s participation reflects its commitment to going beyond project-level results and contributing to broader conversations about how European research funding can be structured for greater long-term impact.
The Policy Brief is freely available via Zenodo (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13902346) and is recommended reading for research managers, funders, and anyone working at the science-policy interface in the marine domain.
Contact point : evelyne.tarnus (a) cellule-europe.re
