Adam Billing
Senior Adviser
Understanding the Contribution of Offshore Wind to Cumulative Effects in the North Sea
VELUX FONDEN aims to promote a democratic and sustainable society on an informed and inclusive basis. The Foundation has strategic ambitions to foster groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaborations and to support capacity building within and across societal institutions.
Based on the workshop in Copenhagen titled “The Blue Consequences of the Green Transition” and the associated conference outcome paper, VELUX FONDEN seeks to expand knowledge on the contribution of offshore wind to cumulative effects in the North Sea.
The expansion of offshore wind, alongside the management of other ocean activities, must be guided by a science-based and collaborative approach that acknowledges the interconnectedness of marine ecosystems and coastal economies.
By addressing the cumulative effects of the varied and concurrent uses of the ocean, we can leverage offshore wind’s potential to safeguard both ocean health and community well-being.
Call for Proposals: Research and Solutions to Maximize Knowledge of the Contribution of Offshore Wind to Cumulative Effects
As offshore wind energy continues to expand globally, it is essential to assess and mitigate the cumulative effects resulting from the interaction between large-scale wind farm developments and existing ocean uses.
While offshore wind plays a pivotal role in the clean energy transition, its aggregated environmental, social, and economic impacts throughout its lifecycle must be examined. This is necessary for an equitable assessment and management of its effects, alongside other ocean sectors, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of marine environments.
We invite researchers, in collaboration with industry experts, authorities, and other relevant stakeholders, to submit proposals that address the contribution of offshore wind to cumulative effects in the North Sea.
Status
Open
Minimum application amount
DKK 2.5m
Application
- Open for submissionsApplication
- Deadline for submissions
14:00
Submission Criteria
Proposals should align with the following key objectives
1. Foster Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Engage with other ocean users, maritime industries, and coastal communities.
- Encourage structured data-sharing and data collection among developers, scientists, and regulators to enable the analysis of cumulative effects, such as impacts on marine ecosystems.
2. Enhance Regulatory and Planning Frameworks
- Develop guidelines to address cumulative effects at both national and regional levels, such as Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and baseline environmental conditions.
- Propose adaptive management strategies to enable regulatory refinement as new knowledge emerges.
3. Advance Technological Innovation and Monitoring
- Explore turbine designs and operational strategies that minimize environmental impacts.
- Establish long-term monitoring programs and technologies to track ecosystem changes across full lifecycle stages.
4. Ensure Transparent Stakeholder Engagement
- Design inclusive decision-making processes that incorporate diverse perspectives.
- Provide accessible information and engagement opportunities for communities throughout all project phases, ensuring thorough social and environmental impact assessments.
Proposals are encouraged to draw inspiration from the outcomes of the workshop “The Blue Consequences of the Green Transition” and address other relevant areas, such as:
- Marine Ecosystem Impacts: Investigations into habitat alteration, biodiversity shifts, and the effects of noise, electromagnetic fields, and turbine infrastructure on marine species migration.
- Fisheries and Maritime Navigation: Research on the displacement of fishing activity, changes in fish stock distributions, and navigational challenges.
- Coastal and Societal Considerations: Analyses of visual impacts, tourism implications, and economic transitions in coastal communities dependent on fisheries and recreation.
- Grid Infrastructure and Energy System Integration: Strategies for efficient offshore wind transmission planning and enhancing grid resilience.
Outcome paper from the conference “The Blue Consequences of the Green Transition”.pdf
Application Deadline: 15 September 2025, 14:00 CET
- Full proposals must be submitted via the Foundation’s application portal.
After the deadline:
The Secretariat will carry out an initial assessment of all proposals in relation to the below-stated requirements (see application requirements).
Qualified applications will be reviewed by an external panel of scientific and science-to-policy experts based on the following criteria:
- Degree of alignment with submission criteria
- Relevance to national, regional, and international state-of-the-art research
- Project relevance, necessity, and overall strengths and weaknesses
- Level of innovation
- Qualifications and experience of applicants in relation to research goals
- Appropriateness of budget in relation to project scope
- Collaborative capacity at national, regional, and international levels
- Potential for sustainable impact and post-project anchoring
- Relation to or overlap with existing initiatives
- Relation to legal obligations of local, regional, or international authorities
- Degree of stakeholder involvement
Mid-December 2025: All applicants will receive notification.
Grant Framework:
- Total available funding: DKK 14.3 million
The secretariat will assess the proposals on the following:
- Established collaboration between project partners prior to submission
- Innovation and adherence to the highest scientific standards must be clearly articulated
- Promotion of cross-sector collaboration, particularly among academic institutions, industry experts, and policymakers
- If key objectives outlined in the call are addressed
- Project duration: 3–5 years
- Strong anchoring during and after project finalization
- Ongoing and post-project dissemination of results
Note: See also guidance document “How to Write an Application”
Additionally, applicants must be aware that:
- Proposals duplicating previous efforts or lacking innovation will be rejected
- Proposals focusing solely on operational costs or with a purely commercial focus will be rejected
- Proposals fulfilling only legal obligations of authorities will be rejected
- Proposals must be submitted in English
- Max 10 pages (2400 characters including spaces per page), footnotes included, references excluded; figures are not counted as pages
- CV of project leader (max 5 pages) and key collaborators (max 1 page per person)
- CV and budget must follow the templates provided:
Eligible applicants include universities and academic institutions, with a preference for interdisciplinary teams to reflect the complexity of cumulative effects. Other relevant actors essential to the project purpose are also eligible, particularly where in-kind contributions are included. Collaboration with industry experts, government authorities, and other stakeholders is encouraged, especially through the creation of steering or advisory groups. Projects with participation from multiple North Sea countries are strongly encouraged, as offshore wind developments transcend administrative borders.
Applicants may apply for:
- Buyout/salary for practitioners, staff, researchers, and project management
- Salary for permanent university researchers should not exceed 10–15% of the total budget requested. Priority should be given to PhD and postdoc funding to enhance institutional research capacity
Salaries for permanent research staff at any eligible institution are included in the 15% cap
Note: Wet Supplement and PhD/Postdoc Guidelines
- Six private Danish foundations have a funding agreement with Universities Denmark. For this call, only the “wet” supplement applies. See agreement here and guidelines for project supplement.
- All postdoc positions must be advertised. If a named PhD candidate is included in the application, it is assumed the hiring process is already completed.
For Danish applicants:
- PhD and postdoc salaries must follow state salary levels (1–8), including applicable supplements. Any excess must be covered by the institution.
Applications must address:
- Project purpose and background (short and long term), and how the research question aligns with submission criteria
- Scientific and societal relevance and potential for impact in addressing cumulative effects
- State of the art (nationally, regionally, internationally)
- Work packages: theory, methods, data, and projected outcomes
- Project organization, leadership, team, and external collaborations
- Advisory/steering boards and international academic cooperation
- Overview of overlapping or complementary initiatives
- Risk assessment
- Project timeline (e.g., Gantt Chart) including research phases, dissemination plans, and anchoring strategy
- Dissemination plan targeting relevant stakeholders and decision-makers, with focus on knowledge transfer
- Budget linked to work packages and activities (see budget template under ”required application documents”)
- Project abstract
- Include CVR number if applicable
In addition to the application, the following documents must be filled and submitted with the application:
Contact