OCEANIC PLATFORM OF THE CANARY ISLANDS (PLOCAN)
Period of enjoyment: from January 2026 to June 2027.
The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands is a Unique Scientific-Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) whose mission is to promote the development of knowledge and technologies for the responsible and sustainable use of the ocean. PLOCAN offers offshore and on land infrastructures to test new technologies, materials, concepts or methodologies, providing services to users in the public and private sectors.
It comprises a fixed offshore platform with a net area of 2,500 m2 located near the coast at a depth of 30 m; a test site with an area of 23 Km2 that offers progressive depths from the coast to 600 meters, and constitutes an optimal ecosystem in terms of data, operational models, logistics, compatible infrastructures and connection to the electricity grid; an electrical and communications infrastructure for evacuation of the energy produced during the experimental tests; a base of autonomous underwater vehicles; an observatory aimed at monitoring global change processes, ocean health, exploration and environmental monitoring of the marine environment and biodiversity; and an onshore headquarters with workshops and laboratories.
Research lines offered by PLOCAN (2025-2026):
| Line | Responsible Department | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ocean Observation and Forecasting Systems (OOFS) | Marine Observation | Acquisition, processing and analysis of oceanic and meteorological data series (buoys, HF-radar, gliders), real-time quality control, assimilation in numerical models and development of coastal digital twins. |
| 2. AI-assisted Biodiversity Monitoring | Marine Observation / Ecosystems | Automatic processing of underwater images and acoustics, species detection through ML, integration of eDNA data and habitat mapping. |
| 3. Digital Twin of the Ocean – Canary Islands | Marine Digital Transformation | Fusion of in-situ data, remote sensing and high-resolution modeling to assess climate change scenarios and ecosystem services. |
| 4. Interoperability and FAIR Management of Marine Data | Marine Digital Transformation | Ontologies and standards (SensorML, OGC-SOS), cloud-native architectures, edge-to-cloud workflows and valorization of data for the blue economy. |
To solve any doubts concerning the research proposal or host insitution you may contact josefina.loustau@plocan.eu
All candidates must have the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out the research proposal before their arrival to PLOCAN.
Location: Carretera de Taliarte s/n (Faro), 35200, Telde, Gran Canaria, España.
Webpage: https://plocan.eu/
*PLOCAN does not provide nor has any requirements regarding accommodation. It is the fellow’s responsibility to secure it and inform both parties, at least, 1 month before arrival in Spain.