MarLEN Project Launches for Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport

April 21, 2025

The MarLEN (Maritime Low Emission Network) project has been officially launched under the HorizonEurope program. Credit: MSE International

The maritime and inland waterway sector is at a turning point in the transition towards zero-emission waterborne transport. To accelerate this transformation, the MarLEN (Maritime Low Emission Network) project has been officially launched under the HorizonEurope program.

Coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich, this 54-month Horizon Coordination andSupport Action (CSA) brings together 14 ministries, research and funding organizations from 10 European countries, collectively accounting for a significant share of global shipbuilding output and fleet tonnage.

MarLEN’s primary objective is to strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) in waterborne research by coordinating and developing synergies between national and regional maritime and inland waterway research programs and policies, in line with the objectives of the ZeroEmission Waterborne Transport (ZEWT) partnership.

Through enhanced transnational cooperation across Europe, the project will:

Launch and coordinate funding initiatives, maximizing the impact of maritime and inland waterway research investments;
Facilitate knowledge and information exchange among national program coordinators and managers, existing networks, and research stakeholders;
Address climate and environmental challenges in the waterborne sector, supporting the transition to zero-emission technologies;
Create a self-sustaining European network of maritime ministries and funding bodies, integrating new organizations and expanding its network beyond the official consortium.

By consolidating and expanding existing collaboration frameworks, MarLEN will contribute to the ZEWT partnership’s mission of developing and demonstrating zero-emission solutions for all main ship types and services before 2030. The initiative will also reinforce synergies between ZEWT actions under Horizon Europe and other EU programs, such as the Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), Innovation Fund (IF), LIFE Program, and other national programs.