Projects

Seismic surveys have revealed clay tectonic deformations in the Belgian part of the North Sea. The Clay Tectonics project investigates to which extent these deformations should and can be taken into account in the construction of offshore wind farms off our coast.

The general public is often insufficiently aware of and involved in the sustainable transition of the Flemish coastal area. That’s why the BLUE BALANCE project is aimed at creating public support and facilitating a comprehensive dialogue between stakeholders.

In Europe, scaling up commercial aquaculture is hampered by high production costs and the pressure on local resources. In this project, an indoor cultivation concept for shrimp is developed that does not require water changes and produces virtually no waste. The new concept is based on improved clear water technology.

The impact of the European 'Green Deal' is gradually becoming tangible at sea as well. In the BANOS project, stakeholders in the Baltic Sea and North Sea regions are taking concrete positive measures to restore our ocean and waters.

The EVERBLUE project aims to investigate in detail the effects of wind on modern container ships moored in realistic, busy port environments. To this end, wind tunnel tests, CFD simulations and dynamic mooring analyses will be used.

The Flemish coast as we know it is the result of a centuries-long interaction between the sea, land and humans. The coastline was very different in the past. The Testerep project deals with how the coastline has evolved over time and what lessons we can learn for the present and the future.

Belgium was one of the first countries to make a deliberate choice for offshore wind energy. The first installations are gradually approaching the end of their lifetime. The OWiDEx project wants to position Belgium as a pioneer in the decommissioning of offshore wind turbines.

Europe is leading the way in offshore renewable energy. The ELBE Eurocluster project aims to put the knowledge and expertise of European companies (and in particular SMEs) on the international map. Various activities are organised for this purpose.

There is a great demand for new, better and more versatile enzymes. The sea can be an important source of such enzymes, but research is very expensive and time-consuming. The EnzyMares project is aimed at developing a toolbox to easily identify promising enzymes.

BlueBioClusters aims to support European (coastal) regions and citizens in the transition to a sustainable blue bio-economy. The project contributes to the development of blue value chains by improving blue bio-economy cluster services across Europe.

Europe has set a very ambitious mission for its oceans. Its success largely depends on how we deal with our oceans and seas. How can we accomplish effective protection and the development of a sustainable blue economy? The Prep4Blue project sketches the outlines of the mission in terms of research and innovation.

Offshore wind turbines are constructed around the globe. The foundations of such wind turbines are quickly colonised by filter-feeding animals. The OUTFLOW project investigates the functional impact of a high concentration of these animals on the marine ecosystem.