Gold for our innovations in the improvement of marine biodiversity

Leading up to this award ceremony, a professional jury reviewed the many submissions based on their innovative character, link to the blue economy, marketing potential, international ambitions, and their link to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN).

The UNITED project won the Blue Innovation Swell award in which the innovative collaboration between different parties was honoured. The Blue Innovation Wave award for SME’s went to MULTI.engineering, the Corporate Blue Innovation Wave award for large enterprises went to DEME and the Blue Innovation Captain award went to the government initiative Aquaduin.

The UNITED-project

The large-scale European research project UNITED, co-financed by the Horizon 2020 program of the European Union, researches how we can use the space on sea as sustainably as possible.

With the support of partners from eight countries, five pilot projects were set up. Jan De Nul takes part in the research project in Belgium, which focuses on nature restoration and aquaculture.

Together with Ghent University, we research if flat oysters and sugar kelp can be grown again in the North Sea. Even more, whether it’s possible around offshore platforms and on the rocks we use to protect infrastructures on sea, such as wind turbines, against erosion.