ATALANTA (Support Equality and Advancing Inclusion in the Marine and Maritime Sector), a new EU-funded Erasmus+ cooperation partnership, has officially launched to empower women across the blue economy through inclusive training, immersive VR/AR simulations, and structured mentorship.
The project will run for 36 months (1 September 2025–31 August 2028) with a €400,000 lump-sum budget under the Erasmus+ Programme.
Coordinated by the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), ATALANTA brings together four partners from three countries—CMMI (CY), SEABILITY INNOVATIONS P.C. (EL), INNOPIXEL APS (DK), and VENLYS & SIA EE (EL)—and one affiliated entity, WISTA (CY). Together, the consortium will co-create an accessible curriculum, develop three real-world VR/AR training scenarios, and deliver the “Woman Rise Package” to strengthen mentorship and professional networking.
ATALANTA tackles persistent barriers women face in maritime education and careers—from training and entry into employment to retention and leadership—by combining experiential, technology-enhanced learning with targeted capacity building. Five work packages cover project management, inclusive curriculum and tool development, capacity building, “Woman Rise” implementation, and dissemination and sustainability, ensuring a clear pathway from design to practical uptake and long-term impact. Practical pilots will pre-test and validate the curriculum and tools, integrate mentorship activities, and culminate in a collaborative learning workshop reflecting real maritime operations, with progress evaluated through qualitative and quantitative indicators to support continuous improvement and scale-up.
The consortium marked the start of this collaboration at the project kick-off meeting held on 29–30 September 2025 in Larnaka, Cyprus, kindly hosted by CMMI.
