With this understanding, Nordic Innovation and other stakeholders will be better equipped to make high-impact interventions, become early adopters of new technologies, and to make the Nordic ocean economy the most sustainable in the world.
Quick facts
| What are we looking for? | A Nordic consortium to analyze possible future scenarios for the Nordic ocean economy. |
| Available funding: | 1.5 million NOK |
| Key criteria: | - Consortium of partners, preferably from three different Nordic countries - 50% co-funding by project partners - Thorough coverage of the whole region |
| Submission Deadline: | 9 December 2024 at 23:59 CET |
| Funding decision: | December 2024 |
| Project Period: | Six months |
Background
The ocean is important to all the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries are significant players in the global ocean economy1, with strongholds in such sectors as ocean food, ocean transport, and ocean energy. As the ocean economy is expected to grow significantly in coming years – and since our citizens and economies depend on an effective and responsible utilization of marine resources – the ability to anticipate future trends and developments is a considerable benefit. By understanding possible scenarios for the future of the ocean economy in the Nordic region, Nordic Innovation and other actors will be able to tailor activities in a way that achieves maximum impact.
This call is part of Sustainable Ocean Economy, a Nordic Innovation program running between 2021 and 2024. But it will also serve as a springboard into the next program period and contribute to the fulfilment of its goals: an accelerated green and digital transition, the Nordics as a leading region for sustainable business models and circular economy, and stronger regional and global market opportunities for Nordic businesses.
Objective
The overall objective of this future scenario project is to visualize how the Nordic ocean economy is likely to develop until 2050. More specific objectives are to:
- Visualize the future development of the Nordic ocean economy across different sectors
- Identify potential challenges and obstacles to early adoption
- Give Nordic Innovation and other stakeholders better tools and knowledge to:
- Prepare for the future of the Nordic ocean economy
- Create a foundation for overall and concrete activities within the ocean economy in the new co-operation program period.
What we are looking for
Nordic Innovation is looking for reliable and motivated partners to carry out this project. The project should consider all relevant sectors, established and emerging, such as fisheries, aquaculture, and offshore energy production. The project should cover the whole Nordic region. The project should describe the most likely scenarios, also taking climate change and other cross-cutting themes into account. To realize the vision of making the Nordic Ocean Economy the most sustainable in the world, the project shall identify specific areas of future work for the Nordic Co-operation.
The precise choice of methodology is up to the project partners and should be described in the proposal. The results shall be presented in a written report at the end of the project. The report shall be written in English and must follow the design manual of the Nordic Co-operation.3 The report will be published on Nordic Innovation’s website. The project partners may be asked to participate in promotional activities in conjunction with the report’s release.
Nordic Added Value
Nordic Innovation’s activities should promote cooperation between stakeholders across Nordic borders. As such, Nordic Innovation only engages in activities that can create Nordic added value.
Nordic added value is created when cross-border cooperation between actors generates more value than those actors could have achieved by only working nationally.
Funding
Nordic Innovation will fund one project with 1.5 million Norwegian kroner (NOK).
Nordic Innovation requires at least 50% in co-funding from project partners. This can be direct funding (capital), in-kind contributions (working hours) or a combination thereof. Consequently, in this call, the co-funding of the project shall be no less than 1.5 MNOK. This means that the total project budget for the project will be no less than 3 MNOK. The composition of the co-funding must be demonstrated in the proposal. Nordic Innovation’s budget template must be filled out and submitted with the proposal.
Project period
The Project period is six months.
Who can apply
A consortium of partners headed by a Nordic Lead Partner.4 Preferably, the consortium should consist of partners from at least three different Nordic countries. Consortium partners from non-Nordic countries are welcome to participate, but only partners from Nordic countries can receive funding under this call.
The project partners can be:
- Companies (SMEs and larger companies)
- Clusters, business organizations, and facilitators
- Academic institutions and foundations
- Public entities
Please contact Nordic Innovation if you are unsure about whether your organisation is eligible.
Eligibility criteria
Only project proposals that meet all the following eligibility criteria will be considered for funding:
- The proposal must be correctly submitted electronically within the given deadline.
- The proposal must be valid until 1 February 2025.
- The proposal must be in English.
- The proposal must be signed by the Lead Partner.
- A signed Letter of Intent from all project partners shall be included.
- The proposal shall include a project budget demonstrating at least 50% co-financing of the total project costs. Nordic Innovation’s budget template must be used.
Evaluation criteria
All proposals that meet the formal requirements will be evaluated by an expert panel according to the following criteria:
Competence and relevance (50%)
- What is the competence of the consortium to carry out the project?
- Do the partners have relevant experience and a track record from similar projects?
- Who is participating in the project, and what is their level of competence and experience?
- How will the consortium ensure coverage of the whole Nordic region?
Methodology (30%)
- Is the chosen methodology well described and realistic?
- Is the project management realistic and well-structured?
Value for money (20%)
- What is the level of co-financing?
- Is the total budget and its cost structure realistic and in line with the proposed activities?
Submission
Proposals must be submitted by e-mail to info@nordicinnovation.org and labelled Nordic Oceans 2050. The deadline for submitting a proposal is 9 December 2024 at 23:59 CET.
Funding decision
The final funding decision will be made by Nordic Innovation no later than at the end of December 2024.
Information regarding the funding decision will be published on Nordic Innovation’s website.
Nordic Innovation may reject all proposals if the result of the evaluation procedure gives reasonable grounds for doing so.
Questions and further information
Questions regarding this Call can be sent to Innovation Adviser Emil Gejrot (emil.gejrot@nordicinnovation.org) or Senior Innovation Adviser Thordur Reynisson (tr@nordicinnovation.org).
Miscellaneous
Those submitting proposals under this Call are responsible for ensuring the inclusion of all necessary information and meeting all requirements specified. Proposals or other information received after the submission deadline will not be taken into consideration.
The submitted proposal shall consist of:
- A single pdf file consisting of:
- Proposal Document
- Gantt chart or similar timeline, and
- Short CVs (½ page each) for key project participants.
- A Budget using the provided template.
The project currency must be Norwegian kroner (NOK). This applies to the Contract, the Budget, project accounts, disbursements from Nordic Innovation, and all project reporting.
Nordic Innovation will offer a contract to the Lead Partner of the selected project proposals. The contract will be between Nordic Innovation and the Lead Partner. It is the Lead Partner who is responsible for the running of the project on behalf of the consortium.
Nordic Innovation’s standard terms and conditions will be a part of the project contract.
A final report and project accounts shall be submitted to Nordic Innovation no later than three months after completion of the project.