Deliverable 2.1 Stakeholder Engagement Strategy
Through the project, WP2 coordinated stakeholder engagement across all levels of ULTFARMS, building support and co-creating solutions with the people the work affected. Guided by a Multi-stakeholder Engagement Strategy, it strengthened the legitimacy of the pilots in local communities, channelled industry feedback through an Industry Sounding Board, and linked ULTFARMS with other Ocean Mission projects and EU initiatives.
WP3 developed the technical and biological requirements for building and operating novel seaweed and mollusc aquaculture systems inside offshore wind farms, using species and cultivation choices to optimise each system’s design and productivity. Working from a baseline through to innovative new components, it co-designed the structures, sensors and longlines with stakeholders and end-users, refined them through iterative testing, and fed the final designs into the project’s scaling roadmap.
Co-design of production activities
Design and implementation of mariculture structures
Sensor technology design
Feasibility study for implementation of power supply at sea
WP4 ran the practical side of ULTFARMS, coordinating the pilots as they tested equipment, materials, handling, cultivation, harvesting, logistics and offshore infrastructure in real conditions. It established and improved the full deployment process, from transport and installation to producing seaweed and mussels suited to the North and Baltic Sea wind farms, and explored crop processing within partner regions to build up local value chains.
Design adaptations for deployment in offshore regions
Offshore implementation and process description
WP6 identified the variables that needed monitoring and the means to make use of the data, developing an effective monitoring strategy across ecological, environmental, production and safety requirements. Drawing on Information and Communication Technologies and decision support systems, it brought data flows from different sources into a single platform to serve end-users, providing wind farm operators and farmers with services that assist them in their daily tasks.
Review of the monitoring requirements and strategies of offshore low-trophic aquaculture
Description of data flows, manuals and training materials
WP7 developed and applied a framework to assess the environmental impact of combining aquaculture with offshore wind farms, testing nature-inclusive designs for offshore infrastructure. It carried out an environmental footprint assessment toward eco-friendly productivity, and evaluated how the proposed business models contributed to broader sustainability goals and their access to dedicated funding and financing.
Assessment of biodiversity of the pilot multi-use activities
Sustainability Goals of Business Models
WP8 focused on knowledge transfer inside and outside the ULTFARMS consortium, sharing methods and lessons across the pilots and Associate Regions to ensure their transferability across the EU. Through training and capacity building, and close collaboration with the Associate Regions on designs and expertise development, it promoted sustainable low-trophic aquaculture in co-use with offshore wind farms.
Deliverable 8.2 – AR-WG Objectives, plan, selection procedure
WP9 contributed to a governance framework for multi-use in the context of the European Missions and lighthouses, mapping the governance landscape at pilot and basin level, including the directives that deal with multi-use and food production. It helped identify and resolve bottlenecks in governance and decision-making, and screened current regulations, standards and ecolabelling to set out how project results could comply with European rules on entering the market.
Holistic Social-Ecological Governance-Framework
Mapping of the Governance Landscape
Governance bottlenecks to multi-use
WP10 reviewed the state of the art from previous projects and drew the project’s work together into a roadmap, combining the technological designs from the design and testing phases, guidance on protocols and best practices, and the commercialisation potential of the solutions developed. Aggregating the support delivered to the five Associate Regions into a single guidance document, it concluded with a roadmap of holistic pathways to impact for public and private decision-makers to help develop multi-use.
State of the Art revisions for LTA in OWFs
Technical innovation for LTA implementation within OWF
WP11 made sure ULTFARMS communicated effectively with a wide range of external stakeholders, running a targeted outreach campaign with WP2 aimed at industry, consumers, policymakers and investors to maximise acceptance and impact. It developed the project’s communication channels, website, social media, videos and marketing materials, directed outputs to the right audiences, and monitored how well the communications landed with those they were meant to reach.
Deliverable 11.2 Dissemination & Communication Strategy
