Visits to CMRE
3-4
2025
Visit by Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT)
The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE), the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) held a workshop focused on climate data and analysis, with the objective of exchanging and aligning on definitions for climate change data and analysis research methods in defence. The workshop, held in La Spezia, consisted of plenary and breakout sessions, with interactive elements to encourage participant discussions. Networking sessions were included to exchange research and promote collaborative opportunities. Over two days, the workshop covered the basics of climate data and analysis, including research assumptions, best practices, and common datasets and methods. The workshop also explored how this research applies to defence, such as its relevance to military operations and its impact on military infrastructure and capabilities.
24
2025
Visit by Mr. Steen Søndergaard, NATO Chief Scientist
The newly appointed NATO Chief Scientist, Mr. Steen Søndergaard, visited the CMRE in La Spezia for the first time. The Chief Scientist met with CMRE’s Director for a high-level exchange. He also engaged directly with programme managers, scientists and engineers, gaining a firsthand understanding of CMRE’s programme of work. He toured CMRE’s facilities, laboratories, and the NRV Alliance.
30
2025
Visit by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chair of the NATO Military Committee (CMC)
Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone visited the CMRE following Admiral Cavo Dragone’s participation to SEAFUTURE2025, where he delivered a keynote speech urging NATO and its partners to rethink traditional defence paradigms in light of emerging threats, particularly in the underwater and maritime domains.
A highlight of the visit was a panel discussion on CMRE’s contribution to NATO’s data-centric transformation. Decades of maritime data collection and acoustic modelling are now being integrated into NATO’s broader multi-domain operations—linking undersea data with air, space, and cyber layers to enable faster, more informed decision-making across the battlespace.
Events
29-30
2025
Climate Data & Analysis Workshop
The NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE), the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) held a workshop focused on climate data and analysis, with the objective of exchanging and aligning on definitions for climate change data and analysis research methods in defence. The workshop, held in La Spezia, consisted of plenary and breakout sessions, with interactive elements to encourage participant discussions. Networking sessions were included to exchange research and promote collaborative opportunities. Over two days, the workshop covered the basics of climate data and analysis, including research assumptions, best practices, and common datasets and methods. The workshop also explored how this research applies to defence, such as its relevance to military operations and its impact on military infrastructure and capabilities.
20-22
2025
Maritime Science and Technology Committee (MSTC) Spring Meeting
The NATO STO’s MSTC held its routine three-day meeting at the CMRE in La Spezia, Italy. Representatives from 12 nations and NATO entities came together to discuss CMRE programme updates, science and technology (S&T) evolutions, national briefings, and insights into advancing maritime innovation. By fostering collaboration and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, the MSTC remains dedicated to developing solutions that address the Alliance’s needs.
2025
RAMI 2025 Competition
Student engineers from across Europe took part in RAMI25, NATO’s flagship underwater robotics competition. CMRE hosted the challenge, which tasked teams with developing autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) designed to detect and inspect threats to undersea cables. This year marked a technical first, with teams taking on a multi-domain scenario that combined aerial and underwater robotics.
13-17
2025
NATO Innovation Continuum 2025 SHINE Event
2025 Innovation Continuum capstone event, SHINE, hosted at Istanbul Technical University in Tuzla, Türkiye.
CMRE support and dedication helped bring together a community of experts, innovators, and leaders and enabled groundbreaking achievements in multi-domain operations, interoperability, and technological advancement. This year's event marked a milestone, following the progression from SPARK to IGNITE and GLOW. With over 700 participants from prestigious national research laboratories, government organizations, academia, and industry, CMRE involvement played a crucial role in creating a robust platform for collaboration and innovation.
20-24
2025
NATO STO 56th Sensing Technology (SET) Panel Business Meeting
The SET Panel Business Meeting brought together 56 participants, representing 21 nations, 2 STO STEP Nations (Republic of Korea and Switzerland) and 4 NATO bodies. Hosted at the Cadimare Air Force Base in La Spezia by CMRE, the Panel’s Delegation also had the opportunity to tour CMRE labs and facilities.
The NATO SET-351 Research Specialist Meeting on ‘Intelligent Maritime Sensing from Coastal to Littoral Environments’ focused on sensors in harsh maritime environments, enabled by emerging and disruptive technologies. Twenty-one papers were presented on related research topics, and awards given for Best Paper and Young Scientist.
I was very pleased to attend the Research Specialists Meeting on Intelligent Maritime Sensing from Coastal to Littoral Environments. The high-level discussions on sensing in dynamic maritime domains highlighted the critical role of advanced sensors, autonomy, artificial intelligence and data fusion in enabling future maritime capabilities. As NATO’s Chief Scientist, it is a priority for me to engage with all panels and activities of the Science and Technology Organization to closely follow up and communicate these scientific and technological advances across the Alliance - thus ensuring that knowledge generated within our network of 5 000 scientists, researchers and engineers continues to translate into operational and strategic advantage for NATO.
The NATO SET-351 Research Specialist Meeting was a highly successful event that brought together leading experts from NATO and partner nations to address key challenges in intelligent maritime sensing and critical infrastructure protection. The breadth and quality of contributions, spanning advanced sensing technologies, data fusion, and experimentation, will directly inform future research directions and experimental activities in support of Alliance maritime security.
18-21
2025
SEPIA JRP Festival
The SET Panel Business Meeting brought together 56 participants, representing 21 nations, 2 STO STEP Nations (Republic of Korea and Switzerland) and 4 NATO bodies. Hosted at the Cadimare Air Force Base in La Spezia by CMRE, the Panel’s Delegation also had the opportunity to tour CMRE labs and facilities.
The NATO SET-351 Research Specialist Meeting on ‘Intelligent Maritime Sensing from Coastal to Littoral Environments’ focused on sensors in harsh maritime environments, enabled by emerging and disruptive technologies. Twenty-one papers were presented on related research topics, and awards given for Best Paper and Young Scientist.
I would like to thank CMRE for the excellent SEPIA Fest. As an operator it was most informative and good to be updated on the excellent work being pursued to improve and inform tactics … The work CMRE does is essential to support NATO output to the front line.
