The AI4COPSEC consortium met in Ancona, Italy, on 2–3 December 2025 for its second in-person General Assembly. Hosted by the partner based in Ancona – University of Marche (UNIVPM), the meeting brought together project partners, invited stakeholders and experts, and members of the Security Advisory Board (SAB) to review progress across the work packages, demonstrate technical developments, and coordinate the next phase of implementation.
The first day opened with institutional welcomes from UNIVPM as meeting host and project coordinator Simula Research Laboratory, and eOdyn, setting the context for the General Assembly and confirming key objectives for the meeting.
Partners presented structured updates across multiple work packages, offering a consolidated view of progress to date, challenges encountered, and upcoming milestones. Work package sessions included technical and thematic progress, covering core analytical components and service-oriented development as well as coordination and foundation activities, including management, requirements alignment, and cross-package dependencies.
A dedicated SAB invited talk by Prof Olav Lysne concluded the day, offering an external national-security perspective and highlighting broader trends relevant to the project’s approach. This contribution supported the consortium’s reflection on real-world applicability and stakeholder priorities.
The second day moved from project-level alignment to detailed technical exchange. Morning sessions showcased partner demonstrations and recent scientific results, giving the consortium a practical view of tools and methods now in active development. Contributions included technical highlights from eOdyn, Hozint, SRL, UNIVPM, AISTECH, and IMT, with each partner presenting developments relevant to their specific work package responsibilities.
Second day continued with invited stakeholder talks, broadening the consortium’s perspective on operational and scientific contexts. Talks on remote sensing for fishing activity from Global Fishing Watch, ocean observation and monitoring from Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology of the National Research Council (CNR IRBIM), and robotics and citizen science for a blue-green future from UNIVPM marked the stakeholder contrbutions on day 2.
We wrapped the General Assembly with a visit to the CNR IRBIM Lab located near the port of Ancona. The Lab studies sea life and ecosystems, monitoring biodiversity and environmental change, and supporting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. The teams also run ocean/coastal observation systems to collect data used in marine monitoring and decision-making.
The AI4COPSEC consortium was warmly welcomed for visits to the Acoustics Monitoring Lab, the biodiversity analysis room and the DNA Lab, where partners had the opportunity to see ongoing research and facilities firsthand. The tours offered useful context on the local scientific work supporting marine monitoring and analysis.
