CoNISMa

CoNISMa (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare) participates as a partner in the Next Geosolutions-led Temporary Consortium (RTC) awarded by Terna on 10 April 2026 for the Milano–Montalto HVDC preliminary marine survey and environmental characterisation contract. CoNISMa is an Italian inter-university marine sciences consortium grouping several Italian universities and is engaged here on the environmental characterisation strand of the campaign, contributing expertise on sediment quality and the distribution and condition of phyto- and zoobenthic communities along the approximately 280 km submarine corridor between Montalto di Castro and Avenza. The total RTC contract value exceeds €28 million; CoNISMa's individual share is not disclosed in the contract notice but sits within the partner stakes that complement NextGeo's ~84% lead share. CoNISMa's contribution supports the environmental baseline assessments required for Terna's authorisation filing to MASE under DL 239/2003 and for the eventual EIA process. Field activities involving CoNISMa staff and member-university researchers are expected to start in the second half of 2026 alongside the broader survey mobilisation. The award follows the open European procurement procedure launched on 28 May 2025 (GUCE S 102/2025 – 345476), in which the NextGeo-led RTC ranked first overall.