About
About
In pursuit of innovative and sustainable solutions for marine plastic waste, the Circular Ocean project seeks to inspire enterprises and entrepreneurs to realise the hidden opportunities of discarded fishing nets and ropes in the Northern Periphery & Arctic (NPA) region.
As increasing levels of marine litter is particularly pertinent to the NPA region, the Circular Ocean project will act as a catalyst to motivate and empower remote communities to develop sustainable and green business opportunities that will enhance income generation and retention within local regions.
Through transnational collaboration and eco-innovation, Circular Ocean will develop, share and test new sustainable solutions to incentivise the collection and reprocessing of discarded fishing nets and assist the movement towards a more circular economy.
Lead Partner: ARTEK (Arctic Technology Centre – Technical University of Denmark)
Link: here
Contact Person: Lisbeth M. Ottosen
Location: Greenland
Description: Macroom E is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cork County Council, a Local Authority serving a population of 399,216 (2011 Census) in Southern Ireland. Macroom E is an established centre that develops education, enterprise, environmental and community projects to influence positive change. One of the major projects developed by Macroom E is Ireland’s national industrial symbiosis programme, SMILE Resource Exchange. Launched in 2010, it operates as a free service that assists businesses in re-using each other’s materials, by-products and surplus ‘waste’ products in order to reduce waste going to landfill and increase the life of resources through reuse. It is funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency, Local Enterprise Offices and Local Authorities.
Associated Partner: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Link: here
Contact Person: Keiron Phillips
Location: Republic of Ireland
Description: The ERI is part of the North Highland College, an academic partner in the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). Situated in Thurso in the northern Highlands of Scotland, the ERI provides a high quality, dynamic environment well equipped with state-of-the-art research facilities and access to some world class natural environments. Our energetic research team aims 'to address contemporary environmental issues and advance understanding in the sustainable use of the earth's natural resources through research excellence and innovative scientific leadership'.
Associated Partner: Innovation Centre Iceland (NMI)
Link: here
Contact Person: Kristján Leósson
Location: Iceland
Description: ARTEK is an education and research centre located The Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby, Denmark, and Sisimiut, Greenland. The centre is offering education of Bachelors of Engineering in Arctic Technology, which aims at specific challenges and conditions in the Arctic regions where specialized engineering competences and solutions are crucial. The research fields at ARTEK are Construction and physical environment, Arctic environmental engineering, Building and energy in the Arctic, and Planning, sustainability and infrastructure.
Associated Partner: Local Enterprise Office (LEO) South Cork
Link: here
Contact Person: Sean O’ Sullivan
Location: Republic of Ireland
Description: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is Norway’s premier institution for the education of engineers. The university offers several programmes of professional study and a broad academic curriculum in the natural sciences, social sciences, teacher education, humanities, medicine and health sciences, economics, finance and administration, as well as architecture and the arts. NTNU´s 56 departments and 120 laboratories are spread across campuses in Trondheim, Ålesund and Gjøvik.
Partner: Macroom E
Link: here
Contact Person: Michelle Green
Location: Republic of Ireland
Description: Local Enterprise Office South Cork is a unique branded enterprise support office with Cork County Council. A network of thirty one Local Enterprise Offices are based nationally through the local authorities and will still act as ‘one stop shops’ to deliver enterprise supports in their local regions. LEO South Cork provides: • Business Information and Advisory Services • Enterprise Support and Development Services • Entrepreneurship Support Services • Local Economic Development Service
Associated Partner: Marine Scotland
Link: here
Contact Person: Dr. Marie Russell
Location: Scotland
Description: Innovation Center Iceland is a leading R&D and business support institute in Iceland. Our mission is to increase innovation, productivity and competitiveness of Icelandic business by doing innovative technology research, diffusing knowledge and giving support to entrepreneurs and start-up companies. The core activities of Innovation Center Iceland are divided into two domains: Technology Research and Consulting Diverse fields in research, such as nanotechnology, renewable energy and concrete rheology.
Associated Partner: Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
Link: here
Contact Person: Kevin Quigley
Location: Northern Ireland
Description: The Centre for Sustainable Design ® (CfSD) was established in 1995 in Farnham, Surrey, UK at what is now the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) www.ucreative.ac.uk. The Centre has led and participated in numerous high quality research projects and has organised hundreds conferences, workshops and training courses focused on sustainable innovation and product sustainability regionally, nationally and internationally. CfSD is recognised worldwide for its knowledge and expertise, having worked closely with business, policy-making and research communities for two decades.
Associated Partner: Nofir AS (Nofir)
Link: here
Contact Person: Oistein Aleksandersen
Location: Norway
Description: Nofir was founded in 2008 with the purpose of establishing a nationwide system for collecting discarded equipment in Norway. 15 000 tonnes of plastic equipment from the fishing and fish farming industry is discarded each year in Norway alone. In 2012 Nofir were granted support from European Union through the Eco Innovation scheme. Since then we have collected material all over Europe.
Lead Partner: North Highland College UHI: Environmental Research Institute (ERI)
Link: here
Contact Person: Dr. Neil James
Location: Scotland
Description: Marine Scotland have a vast amount of knowledge regarding marine litter in Scotland, and provide advice to the Scottish Government on various aspects of marine litter. They have representations or members on OSPAR ICG on Marine Litter, CSSEG Marine Litter subgroup Science Editors Group for Scotland’s Environment Website and the UKMMAS Clean Seas Evidence Group (CSSEG).
Lead Partner: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Link: here
Contact Person: Annik Magerholm Fet
Location: Norway
Description: In order to guide actions in resource efficiency, Ireland has a National Waste Prevention Programme (NWPP). In operation since 2004 it is led by the EPA in association with the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government. The latest NWPP is titled ‘Towards a Resource Efficient Ireland’ to reflect this broad approach and to highlight the key role for the programme in delivering on national priorities on competitiveness and green growth. Key to implementation of the plan is the development of new and innovative ideas to turn waste items into a resource
Lead Partner: The Centre for Sustainable Design ® at the University for the Creative Arts (CfSD at UCA)
Link: here
Contact Person: Professor Martin Charter
Location: England
Description: The Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA) is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department of Agriculture and rural development. We are tasked to improve, manage, and maintain the Northern Ireland designated fishery harbours namely Ardglass, Kilkeel, and Portavogie. As successful owners of all three harbours we need to be and are both an environmentally and commercially minded organisation. In partnership with the NI department of Environment we launched the Fishing for litter campaign successfully in our harbours.
Circular Ocean is a 3 year project that is proud to be funded by the ERDF Interreg VB Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) Programme, under Priority Axis 2; Promoting Entrepeneurship to Realise the Potential of the Programme Area's Competitive Advantage
It is the NPA programme's vision to help to generate vibrant, competitive and sustainable communities, by harnessing innovation, expanding the capacity for entrepreneurship and seizing the unique growth initiatives and opportunities of the Northern and Arctic regions in a resource-efficient way.
For more information about the NPA Programme, visit:
