Coastal regions and ecosystems are increasingly affected by pressures exerted on the ocean, coastal and shelf seas. Since 2007, the EU-funded Joint European Research Infrastructure of Coastal Observatories (JERICO) projects have improved the understanding of underlying processes through observations in European coastal marine areas, aiming to build a pan-European research infrastructure. To better respond to the needs of the scientific community and society, the EU-funded JERICO-DS project will propose a design for an advanced, tailored, inspired and sustainable European RI that delivers expertise and high-quality data on European coastal and shelf seas and encourages world-class research and innovation.