Campus@Sea, together with MARIN, Buccaneer, NWP, DMEC and industry association EWA, has co-signed a letter to informateur Van Haersma Buma and the coalition negotiators. In this letter, we call for innovative forms of marine energ, such as wave energy, tidal energy, offshore solar energy and offshore storage, to be included as a strategic pillar in the new coalition agreement.
A remarkable moment occurred while delivering the letter. On the way to the mailroom of the House of Representatives, Peter Scheijgrond (EWA) happened to run into Minister Jetten, allowing the letter to be handed over personally.
For Campus@Sea, this message aligns closely with our daily practice as a Field Lab in Scheveningen. Here, companies, research institutions and governments test and scale offshore innovations within the Maritime Testing Ground and the Offshore Test Site. From this position, we see which opportunities and policy barriers emerging technologies encounter at sea. The call made in the letter is therefore not an abstract policy request, but a direct reflection of the challenges that innovators face in our test facilities.
The letter is also closely connected to our role in the Interreg NWE project Offshore Proof, in which Campus@Sea serves as Lead Partner. Together with partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, we are building an international network of offshore test locations supported by shared standards, training programmes and Communities of Practice. A key part of this work is the joint development of a Joint Action Plan to support the adoption of innovative offshore renewable energy technologies. With stakeholders from the participating regions, we map out the steps needed to bring new technologies to the market more quickly and responsibly. This includes nature inclusivity, permitting processes, financial incentives and integration with the wider energy system. The insights generated through this process are translated into clear messages for policymakers, regulators and investors. As a result, the recommendations in the letter to the informateur are directly informed by practical experience and European collaboration, while the discussions in The Hague provide valuable input for further development of the Joint Action Plan.
The creation of the letter also demonstrates the strength of the collaboration between Offshore Proof, industry association EWA and the Interreg project Offshore For Sure. While Offshore For Sure focuses on concrete demonstrations of wave, tidal and offshore solar technologies, Offshore Proof provides a structured pathway toward acceptance, certification and policy integration. By aligning these projects and networks, we ensure that policy decisions in The Hague are directly informed by real-world testing environments, and that companies obtain faster clarity on the conditions for scaling up.
In doing so, Campus@Sea strengthens both international cooperation and the position of the Netherlands as a Test Site and accelerator for sustainable offshore energy. The call made in the letter is not an endpoint, but an important step in a longer process in which innovation, policy and practice are brought ever closer together, exactly what the Dutch energy system will need in the years ahead.
Campus@Sea
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