The UN Decade of Ocean Science
The objective of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development is to increase ocean knowledge globally and ensure that society can use this knowledge, enabling us to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There are calls for proposals at the national and international level and activities for everyone to join. The Research Council’s Ocean Secretariat is responsible for coordinating and following up Norwegian efforts related to the Ocean Decade.
Report: The UN Decade of Ocean Science in Norway – status and the way forward towards 2030
We are now halfway through the UN's Decade of Ocean Science. In this report, the Norwegian Committee for the Decade of Ocean Science assesses whether we have achieved half of the goals? The committee also advises on what we should do to achieve all the goals by 2030.
Call: Belmont Forum Oceans 2 – Marine Environment and Biodiversity
The Research Council of Norway is participating in the new Belmont Forum call Oceans2 on the marine environment and biodiversity. The call is global and covers all marine and coastal areas, including the polar oceans. There is a two-stage application process with a deadline for submission of outlines by 5 March 2026. The applications must be interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary. Applications must include partners from at least three countries participating in the call. The call is an approved activity for the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
See more about the call on our website via the button below. Here you will also find a link to the complete call text at Belmont Forum, where there is a separate appendix about the Research Council's contribution.
What is the Decade of Ocean Science?
In 2017, the UN General Assembly decided that the decade 2021 to 2030 will be the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Decade of Ocean Science will stimulate and coordinate national and global research efforts, such that the goals, and goal number 14 – Life below water – in particular, can be reached.
Norway conducts high-level ocean research. Ambitions for the Decade of Ocean Science are high. A document comprising proposed priority areas at the national level has been prepared, a national committee is founded avd the secretariat in the research council coordinates the work.
The National Committee will help ensure that Norwegian efforts achieve the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The committee consists of representatives from key marine environments in Norway within research, business and industry, public administration, NGOs, communication and interested public.
Marine research funded by the Research Council of Norway
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The ice is melting faster, what is happening now in Antarctica?
The rapid melting of ice in Antarctica is causing sea levels to rise globally, which in turn affects almost the entire world's population living along the coast. New observations and sea ice shelf models from Norwegian scientists provide us with better information about the melting of the ice, so that we can prepare for climate change.
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Research can save the ocean's most important predators
The shark has a central role in our ecosystem, but the three Norwegian shark species are threatened with extinction. Scientists are working hard to uncover their behaviour in order to manage the populations properly. The gain is crucial knowledge about the ocean's most charismatic predators and balance in the marine ecosystem.
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Pilot-E contributes to a new possible industrial adventure for Norway
The world's first self-navigating vessel operates on a regular route between Moss and Horten in the Oslo Fjord. The ships are full of Norwegian technology, and could mean the start of a new Norwegian industrial adventure.