A partnership between UK and Norwegian universities is building a more sustainable future for the North Sea.
The University of Leeds, alongside a consortium of partners, formed the North Sea Universities Partnership (NSUP) last year.
At an inaugural conference in Brussels this week, academics, policymakers and industry leaders discussed how to balance energy security with ecosystem conservation.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, said: "Collaborative working enables us to co-create research and innovation that tackles shared challenges of worldwide significance including the sustainable development of the North Sea.
"Through the NSUP, we are fostering opportunities for our academic communities in the UK and Norway to further collective work on climate change."
One conference session focused on transitioning the North Sea from an oil and gas basin to a low-carbon multi-use hub, was co-chaired by Professor James van Alstine, from Leeds' School of Earth and Environment.
The session highlighted why the North Sea is in a major transformation period, as it becomes a sustainable hub for offshore wind and CO2 storage. The session explored how to balance energy expansion with fishing, biodiversity and community interests through innovative marine spatial planning, a process which involves managing this human activity in the sea to achieve minimal environmental impact.
Working with partner organisations is really important for real world context and learnings.
During the same session, Dr Sai Ma, from the Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) in the School of Earth and Environment at Leeds, presented her research on circular economy and the wind industry, led by Dr Anne Velenturf from the School of Civil Engineering and Dr Paul Jensen from SRI.
Dr Ma's interdisciplinary work on regulation and policy focuses on circular economy approaches to meet wind energy ambitions in a sustainable manner. The work aims to help navigate the current governance landscape, break down silos across industries, academia and policy making, and explore how regulatory practices can support net-zero commitments.
Dr Ma said: "Working with partner organisations is really important for real world context and learnings. Through meeting stakeholders, partner institutions and practitioners we can share information. This is really helpful in our area of legal and policy research so we can understand practical industry examples, to help us identify policy and regulatory problems."
The conference also provided opportunities to discuss potential future collaborations within the NSUP that could pitch for funding.
During the conference, a statement from the NSUP was submitted to the European Commission to emphasise the need for multi-disciplinary research to foster sustainability.
The partnership also launched an official logo, designed by MA Advertising and Design student Xin Guan, who will be graduating from the University of Leeds this December. The logo reflects the priorities of the partnership and shared cultural heritage by using visuals including the Tudor rose, waves, the sun and the nautical cross alongside the letters of the partnership.
Enhancing collaboration
The University of Leeds and the University of Bergen also signed a joint partnership agreement, which will see both institutions strengthen cooperation in research, knowledge transfer and education across a range of interdisciplinary areas.
The partnership will grow existing successful collaboration in climate and joint research strengths alongside leadership and support for the NSUP.
Margareth Hagen, Rector of the University of Bergen, said: "The NSUP marks an important step towards closer collaboration between Norway and the UK.
"Together, we develop knowledge that contributes to the green transition, cultural understanding, and sustainable societies. By connecting our strong academic communities, we can create research and education with true global relevance.
"By signing this memorandum of understanding, we commit to strengthening our partnership with the University of Leeds. I sincerely look forward to extending our collaboration in research, knowledge transfer and education going forward."
Professor West added: "This agreement demonstrates our commitment to deliver joint projects that address global challenges. We are looking forward to collaborating on shared research interests, including the energy transition and cultural heritage."
