EDITO-Model Lab’s Legacy to the Construction of the European Digital Twin Ocean 

As EDITO-Model Lab approaches its conclusion on 31 December 2025, the project closes an important chapter in the construction of the European Digital Twin Ocean (European DTO). After three years of development, collaboration and community engagement, the project leaves behind a mature set of tools, models, and applications that will continue to shape Europe’s digital ocean capabilities for years to come. 

This final article reflects on the legacy of EDITO-Model Lab, its main outcomes and the long-term impact it will carry into the next phase of the EDITO initiative under the Horizon Europe follow-up project EDITO 2.

Building the Engine of the Future European DTO 

EDITO-Model Lab was designed to expand the numerical and simulation backbone of the European DTO. Building on the public infrastructure developed by EDITO-Infra, the project delivered a comprehensive suite of modelling and simulation capabilities that now serve as essential components of Europe’s digital ocean environment. 

The project’s key outputs include: 

• A complete Virtual Ocean Model Lab, enabling users to experiment with advanced modelling workflows in a unified digital environment.
• A robust Core Model Suite, integrating coastal, regional, and basin-scale numerical models (including NEMO, WW3, Delft3D, HBMos, and SCHISM).
• Advanced Deep Differentiable Emulators (such as 4DVarNet-turbidity and GLONET) reaching TRL 6–8, enabling near-real-time simulations.
• A growing library of Focus Applications that enable users to explore real-world questions through accessible interfaces.
• Essential backend software, including Autosubmit for HPC orchestration and Stacify for metadata cataloguing.
• A collection of What-If Scenarios, supporting decision-making through scenario-based simulations.
• The EDITO Platform, which brings together data access, modelling, simulation and visualisation tools into one interoperable environment. 

Together, these tools provide the operational and methodological foundations required for advanced ocean analysis, prediction, and planning.

Advancing Knowledge, Methods, and Skills 

Beyond its technical developments, EDITO-Model Lab played a central role in strengthening Europe’s capacity to work with complex ocean data and high-performance modelling environments.

Training, documentation, and user support were anchored by a structured 8-module training curriculum, guiding users from platform onboarding to advanced on-demand modelling. This was supported by a formal User Engagement Roadmap that successfully bridged the gap between beta-testers, intermediate developers, and policy end-users.

A complete set of tutorials, technical guides and educational resources was made available on the EDITO Platform. Co-design workshops, integration workshops, live demonstrations and one full hackathon ensured continuous engagement with intermediate and advanced users. 

The EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon, held in Toulouse in October 2025, was a defining moment. It demonstrated, in practice, that external users can already work with the European DTO to create meaningful new applications. Thirteen international teams successfully built new Focus Applications from scratch, confirming the usability, flexibility, and readiness of the tools developed by the project.

A Strong Legacy of Communication, Visibility, and Community Building 

EDITO-Model Lab joined forces with its sister project EDITO-Infra to deliver various unified communication activities, across 2023, 2024 and 2025, focused on joint social media presence and promotion during key events. This collaborative effort created a distinctive and recognisable presence for the entire EDITO initiative within the European and international ocean community. 

During the project, more than twenty-five news articles were published by EDITO-Model Lab, forming a coherent narrative that explains the challenges, motivation, goals, technologies, and achievements of EDITO. The project also maintained a complete repository of public deliverables, scientific publications and editorial content. EDITO channels reached more than 3,000 followers on LinkedIn and achieved strong visibility on X, reflecting sustained interest in Europe’s digital ocean ambitions. 

EDITO-Model Lab was also present in all major ocean events of the past three years, including the UN Ocean Conference, UN Ocean Decade Conference, Digital Ocean Forums, European Maritime Days, EMODnet and EuroGOOS conferences, and the All-Atlantic Forums. Through these platforms, the project helped position the European DTO within international conversations on ocean digitalisation, forecasting, climate resilience and innovation.

International Positioning and Strategic Partnerships

The internationalisation activities carried on by the EDITO-Model Lab consortium contributed to position the initiative within key global networks dedicated to advancing ocean knowledge and digital solutions. The project actively contributed to UN Ocean Decade programmes such as CoastPredict, DITTO and ForeSea, and strengthened links with international organisations including IOC-UNESCO, ECMWF, EUMETSAT and ESA.

This global positioning ensures that the European DTO is not only a European asset but also a recognised contributor to international marine science and sustainable ocean governance.

Continuity Through EDITO 2 

Although EDITO-Model Lab concludes in December 2025, its work continues directly through EDITO 2, the next phase of the EDITO initiative running from 2025 to 2028.

EDITO 2 has already assumed responsibility for joint communications and will ensure the long-term preservation of these outputs through two new governance bodies: the Virtual Ocean Model Lab (VOML) Working Group, which will manage the technical evolution of the model suite, and the EDITO Project Forum, a collaborative space for all DTO-related projects set to open for registration in January 2026. 

On the technical side, EDITO 2 will further develop the Virtual Ocean Model Lab, extend the Core Model Suite, add new Focus Applications and What-If Scenarios, and strengthen user-support mechanisms. The user community built over the past three years will play an important role in shaping the next generation of tools and services.

In this sense, EDITO-Model Lab does not represent an ending but a transition. Its outputs will continue to evolve and contribute to Europe’s digital ocean capabilities, supporting innovation, policy and scientific research well beyond the lifetime of the project.

Closing the Chapter and Looking Ahead

Throughout its three-year journey, EDITO-Model Lab has demonstrated that a digital replica of the ocean is not only a long-term vision but a practical and functional reality. The project leaves behind a complete suite of tools, an active community, a strong international presence and a consolidated foundation for the continued development of the European DTO. 

As EDITO 2 takes over, the achievements of EDITO-Model Lab will remain at the heart of Europe’s efforts to combine ocean science, technology, and innovation. The story written over the past three years will continue to guide the next chapter, ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of digital ocean development and contributes meaningfully to a resilient, well-understood and sustainably managed ocean.

The book of EDITO-Model Lab now closes, but its legacy lives on in the ongoing construction of the European Digital Twin Ocean. 

Should you want to reach out to the EDITO-Model Lab coordination, please contact Mercator Ocean International.