VELUX FONDEN - Conservation of the Ocean: Combating Marine Pollution
Enriched – · Found: 2026-03-13 15:17
VELUX FONDEN supports projects that combat marine pollution including plastic pollution and marine waste in Danish seas and Baltic region. Minimum project budget DKK 500,000. Focus areas include marine waste, plastic pollution, and impacts from human activities on marine ecosystems. Applications and project ideas accepted with contact: abi@veluxfonden.dk or +45 24 34 24 67
Source: https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/group/grantarea/environment-and-sustainability-danish-sea-areas
Funding Details
- Funder
- VELUX FONDEN
- Funding Goal
- Support research and knowledge-building projects that develop solutions to the ecological challenges posed by shipping in the North Sea region, including understanding cumulative pressures on marine ecosystems, governance tools for maritime spatial planning, and biodiversity-climate integration in shipping decarbonisation pathways.
- Funding Amount
- DKK 3,000,000 to DKK 10,000,000 per project (approx. EUR 400,000 to EUR 1,340,000); total framework DKK 29 million (400.000 € – 1.340.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2026-09-15 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Full proposals submitted through the VELUX FONDEN application portal at veluxfoundations.dk. Initial secretariat review followed by external panel of scientific and science-to-policy experts. All applicants notified in December 2026.
- Target Region
- North Sea region and Western Baltic, including the full Danish EEZ
- Contact
- Adam Billing, Senior Adviser: abi@veluxfonden.dk, +45 24 34 24 67; Ane-Marie Løvendahl Eskildsen, Senior Adviser: ale@veluxfonden.dk, +45 24 95 16 31
- Official Page
- https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/group/channel/call-proposals-north-sea-region-lighthouse-sustainable-shipping
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-07 02:31
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
VELUX FONDEN has launched a call for proposals titled 'The North Sea region as a lighthouse for sustainable shipping,' part of its 'An ocean in balance' environmental programme running 2023-2030. The call specifically focuses on expanding scientific knowledge about the impacts of shipping on the North Sea's marine ecosystems and how those impacts interact cumulatively with other pressures such as offshore wind, CCS infrastructure, and climate change. Thematic scope covers: understanding cumulative impacts of shipping on North Sea biodiversity now and in the future; management and mitigation of maritime pressures including vessel route changes, speed reductions, alternative fuels, port development, and long-term ecosystem effects; governance and spatial planning decision-support tools; trade-off analysis and incentive structures for mitigating cumulative impacts. Research on the North Sea and Western Baltic including the full Danish EEZ is encouraged. Eligible activities include interdisciplinary research and knowledge-building projects. Projects must have a duration of 3-5 years and budgets between DKK 3 million and DKK 10 million (total framework DKK 29 million). Larger budgets require clear justification in terms of cross-border collaboration and expected impact. Geographic scope centres on the North Sea region and Western Baltic, including the entire Danish Exclusive Economic Zone. International and cross-sector collaboration is encouraged. Eligible applicants are primarily universities and academic institutions, with preference for interdisciplinary teams. Lead PIs may be based outside academia as long as university/academic partners are included. Other eligible actors include public authorities, research institutions, industry actors, practitioners, and NGOs. The call opened on 1 May 2026 with a submission deadline of 15 September 2026 at 14:00 CET. All applicants will receive notification in December 2026. Applications are submitted through the VELUX FONDEN portal.
Historical Context
VELUX FONDEN has a 2023-2030 ocean environment programme with three focus areas: marine restoration, combating marine pollution, and future climate solutions/offshore installations. The foundation co-commissioned a report on integrating shipping into NDCs (Rambøll) and supported a World Maritime University workshop 'The Future of Shipping at the Biodiversity-Climate Nexus' (May 2024). This call is one open call under the 'Combating marine pollution' sub-programme.
Sources
- https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/group/grantarea/environment-and-sustainability-danish-sea-areas
- https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/group/grantsubarea/combating-marine-pollution
- https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/group/channel/call-proposals-north-sea-region-lighthouse-sustainable-shipping