The FMRI Town Hall at the Oceans Sciences Meeting in Glasgow brought together leaders from across science, infrastructure, and operations to explore a bold question:

What kind of marine research infrastructure could unlock the next era of ocean science - and make it compelling to invest in?

 

As ocean observing networks grow more complex and interconnected, the future of marine research will depend on something deeper than individual platforms. It will require digital architecture, integrated systems, and community-driven ambition.
 

Setting the Scene: A Digital, Connected Ocean Future

As Chair, Justin Buck (Principal Robotics Engineer, National Oceanography Centre) framed the discussion around what’s next in ocean observing.

A future marine research infrastructure could be:

  • Digital-first
  • Globally integrated
  • Data-driven at its core

From autonomous platforms to predictive ocean models, digital systems are becoming the foundation that enables everything else. The conversation began with a clear premise: infrastructure design must match the scale of our scientific ambition.
 

Ambition and Investment: What Could Be Possible?

Representing NERC’s Future Marine Research Infrastructure programme, Leigh Storey (Senior Responsible Owner) challenged the audience to think boldly.

What scientific opportunities might be realised if researchers had access to marine autonomous systems at scale?

An interoperable array of capabilities - ships, satellites, floats, and autonomous systems  - could deliver data to a far wider range of users. But ambition must also address:

  • Reducing carbon footprint
  • Widening access to cutting-edge tools
  • Enabling early adoption of new technologies
  • Supporting the next generation of marine scientists

The message was clear: world-class infrastructure requires a strong, clearly articulated pull from the science community.
 

From Vision to Scientific Capability

Ambition only matters if it translates into discovery.  Professor Heather Bouman (Biogeochemist, University of Oxford) brought the science perspective, drawing on insights from the BIO-Carbon programme.

She explored what becomes possible when we truly integrate: 

  • Research vessels
  • Autonomous systems
  • Advanced sensor technologies

This hybrid expedition model opens the door to new scientific questions, but also raises trade-offs:
How do we balance autonomy with ship-based sampling?
What integration challenges must be solved?
How do we ensure systems remain scientifically robust?

Aligning infrastructure design with scientific ambition could be transformative, but only if integration is deliberate and coherent.
 

Delivering at Scale: Turning Ambition into Capability

Vision is only powerful if it can be delivered. Alvaro Lorenzo Lopez (Technical Lead, FMRI) focused on the operational realities of scaling marine autonomy. Designing and expanding capability is not just a technical challenge, it’s a systems challenge involving: 

  • Complex logistics
  • Platform integration
  • Data flow management
  • Long-term sustainability planning

Get this right, and the UK could achieve a step-change in ocean observing capacity and global leadership.
 

The Bigger Conversation

Across all speakers, one theme stood out. A compelling, integrated, community-shaped marine research infrastructure could unlock extraordinary opportunity for ocean science, but only if we build it together.

This Town Hall marked the starting point of a much larger conversation: 

  • What does “future-ready” really mean?
  • How ambitious should we be?
  • What infrastructure would truly be worth investing in?
  • And how can the community help shape it?

If you attended the session - thank you for contributing.


If you want to continue shaping what comes next, please send your thoughts and ideas.

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