Call for proposals: Nordic Blue Cluster Forum

About the call

Nordic Innovation is calling for proposals to establish a network of ocean-related clusters or similar organisations from across the Nordic region. Apart from providing a forum for knowledge-sharing, the network should help accelerate existing blue solutions. Ultimately, the aim is to bring these solutions to market, secure investments, or both. 

The Nordic Blue Cluster Forum is part of the thematic programme Innovative Solutions for 2030, which has the fast commercialisation of emerging solutions as a key objective. It also builds on the previous thematic programme Sustainable Ocean Economy (2021-2024). There, the overarching aim was to make the Nordics the world’s leading region for ocean economy sustainability. Both programmes contribute to the Nordic Vision 2030, which states that the Nordics should become the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. 

Funding 

Nordic Innovation will provide grant funding of 6 000 000 NOK over a period of three years to one project. The funding provided by Nordic Innovation must be matched or exceeded by co-funding from the project partners, so that the total budget for the project will be at least 12 000 000 NOK. Co-funding can be provided as in-kind contributions, i.e. working hours. 

Background 

The ocean economy, which comprises those sectors that in some way occur or depend on the ocean, is garnering ever more attention worldwide. From the expansion of renewable energy to the reconfiguration of global food systems, the world’s oceans have been identified as a key economic playing field in the years to come. At the same time, many marine ecosystems are in poor health, creating the need for increased protection, restoration and management. Various ongoing international initiatives are trying to balance growth and conservation, including the UN Ocean Decade and the EU Blue Pact. 

To strike this tricky balance, innovation will be needed – and the Nordic countries, with their strong marine sectors and advanced innovation ecosystems, are well-placed to produce these innovations. This appears to be well understood at the national level, judging by the number of dedicated ocean cluster organisations that have sprung up across the Nordics in recent years. 

However, these clusters would benefit from increased cross-border cooperation in the Nordics. This way, blue businesses from different parts of the Nordic region could share vital experiences with each other, all while decreasing the amount of duplicative work and increasing the possibility of synergies between different sectors. In the long term, cooperation between Nordic ocean clusters could help commercialise and scale up solutions in the Nordics. 

Activity description 

Nordic Innovation will support the establishment and initial operation of a forum for blue cluster organisations in the various Nordic countries. This forum will give the involved clusters opportunities to meet and exchange knowledge and experiences, but it will also have a specific focus on accelerating the existing solution providers associated with the clusters. 

This will be done through a dedicated accelerator programme, where participants selected by the clusters will get to hone their business propositions, with a particular focus on scaling across the Nordics. The accelerator should be structured as a series of steps. It should culminate in one or several larger-scale physical events, such as a pitch competition or an investment roadshow, highlighting concrete blue investment opportunities to investors in several different locations across the Nordics. The programme can build on existing acceleration initiatives. 

The specific project plan will be developed by the project partners, but could include: 

• Designing a structured accelerator programme 

• Identifying specific thematic streams, i.e. ocean biomass 

• Selecting solution providers for participation in each country 

• Carrying out workshops (physical or digital) 

• Establishing connections with investors across the Nordic region and beyond 

• Organising large-scale pitching and investment events 

• Creating a joint Nordic investment prospectus for the ocean economy (with specific reference to the Nordic Ocean Opportunity report published in early 2025) 

At the end of the project period, a proportion of the solution providers involved should have either 

• successfully commercialised their solutions, or 

• secured clear investment commitments for those solutions.  

An additional goal will be to establish a business model for the accelerator that will allow it to continue for further iterations after Nordic Innovation’s funding comes to an end. 

Who can apply 

The project partners can be: 

• Cluster or ecosystem organisations 

• Private or institutional investors 

• Companies 

• Innovation institutions 

• Consultancies 

• Higher education institutions 

• Public sector actors 

The consortium should be led by a cluster or ecosystem organisation. 

Please note that the involvement of industry and the benefit for companies in the Nordic region will be part of the evaluation criteria. We are looking for consortia that show ambition, complementary strengths and competence. 

Consortium partners from countries outside the Nordic region are welcome to participate, but only partners from the Nordic countries can receive funding from Nordic Innovation. 

Eligibility 

Participation of at least three Nordic countries 

The project must be carried out by a consortium of at least three partners from three different Nordic countries. In this call, applicants are encouraged to include as many Nordic countries as possible in their consortia.¹ 

De Minimis aid obligations 

Under EU law, an undertaking may receive State Aid of up to EUR 300 000 over a three-year period (de minimis aid). Since Nordic Innovation is financed by the five Nordic governments, our grants are divided into five parts when calculating State Aid. As such, only 20% of a grant counts towards the de minimis limit for any one country. 

Evaluation criteria 

All proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:  

Impact (40%) 

• How will the project lead to clear results, commercialisation, and investment?  

• How does the project provide companies with value creation, new business opportunities, entrepreneurship and/or sustainable growth?  

• How does the project contribute to the Nordic Vision 2030 and to solving societal challenges? 

Relevance and Nordic added value (30%) 

• How is the project relevant to Nordic Innovation’s mission, the thematic programme Innovative solutions for 2030, and the specific aims of the Nordic Blue Cluster Forum? 

• How does the project enable innovation that involves different sectors?  

• How is the project relevant to ongoing national, regional, and international initiatives?  

• How does the project build on best practices and earlier work?  

• What is the Nordic added value of the project? In other words, what is the benefit of carrying it out at the Nordic level rather than at the national or regional level? 

Consortium competence and capacity (30%) 

• How are the consortium members relevant to the project and what do they add to the consortium?  

• How is the industry involved in the project? 

• How are the different parts of the Nordic region represented in the project? 

Evaluation 

All eligible proposals will be evaluated by Nordic Innovation against the evaluation criteria. 

Submission 

The proposal should be submitted through the application portal that will open on 15 January 2026. 

Please attach in PDF format: 

• An activity plan (e.g. Gantt chart or similar) 

• CVs for the main project participants 

• Signed letters of intent from all consortium members 

Please note that length restrictions apply throughout the application form. You will also be asked to attach an activity plan and short CVs for the main participants. 

Contact information 

Questions or other inquiries? Please reach out to: