The Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance Coordination and Support Action (AORAC-SA) is designed to provide scientific, technical and logistical support to the European Commission in developing and implementing trans-Atlantic Marine Research Cooperation between the European Union, the United States of America and Canada. The Coordination and Support Action (CSA) is carried out within the framework of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance as outlined in the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation (May 2013). Recognising the evolving nature of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, the hallmark of this proposal is that it is flexible, responsive, inclusive, efficient, innovative, value-adding and supportive. To support the Commission in negotiations with the USA and Canada on trans-Atlantic Ocean Research Cooperation, the AORAC-SA support and governance structure comprises a Secretariat and Management Team, guided by a high-level Operational Board, representative of the major European Marine Research Programming and Funding Organisations as well as those of the USA and Canada. This structure is further able to draw on significant marine research expertise and experience through its partner organisations The CSA, reporting to the Commission representatives of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance, will be responsible for the organisation of expert and stakeholder meetings, workshops and conferences required by the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance and related to identified research priorities (e.g. marine ecosystem-approach, observing systems, marine biotechnology, aquaculture, ocean literacy, seabed and benthic habitat mapping), support actions (e.g. shared access to infrastructure, dissemination and knowledge transfer, establishment of a knowledge sharing platform) and other initiatives as they arise, taking into account related Horizon 2020 supported trans-Atlantic projects (e.g. BG1, BG8 and BG13) and on-going national and EU collaborative projects (e.g. FP7).

The main ambition of AANChOR is to promote the implementation of the South Atlantic Research and Innovation Flagship initiative and the Belém Statement (BS), signed by the EU, Brazil and South Africa in 2017, to upscale research and innovation cooperation within the Atlantic basin, from Antarctica to the Arctic. AANChOR will pursue this ambition by providing the EC and the BS Implementation Committee (to be established by signatories of the Statement) with a framework to identify and contribute to the implementation of concrete long-term collaborative activities, reinforcing international cooperation between Europe and tropical and South Atlantic countries and connecting with the challenges and research needs of the North Atlantic Ocean. AANChOR will be responsible for launching a multi-stakeholder platform to identify collaborative activities, building on national and international ongoing initiatives such as the All Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance and addressing activities aimed at reinforcing capacity building, promoting academia-industry knowledge transfer for an enhanced ocean innovation, developing common standards, enhancing citizen awareness and ocean literacy and converging and aligning R&I infrastructure initiatives. To contribute to the implementation of the identified joint activities, AANChOR will provide seed money for the first development stages of selected joint pilot actions and support the identification of the most appropriate existing funding mechanisms and tools for further development of the selected activities. AANChOR will also define long term measures for the sustainability of the cooperation framework beyond the lifetime of the CSA. Recognising the evolving nature of the BS implementation, flexibility has been incorporated into the structure of the CSA allowing its activities adjustment wherever needed. The consortium brings together partners from 5 European Countries, 2 Latin American countries and 2 African countries.