Open call - Let's reduce the plastic pollution in the North Sea

Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste are discharged into the oceans from waterways and land-based sources. The Interreg North Sea - TREASURE project brings together partners with diverse expertise from five European countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark) to work together in assessing, understanding, and implementing measures to tackle plastic pollution in the North Sea. In France, the project is led by Nausicaá, Cedre, Cerema, and the Université Littorale de la Côte d’Opale. For more information about the project: https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/treasure.

As part of the TREASURE project, the Blue Living Lab by Nausicaá is launching a call for projects to support innovative initiatives aimed at reducing plastic pollution. Since 2020, the Blue Living Lab has been supporting the development of projects related to the blue economy and ocean preservation. This support program helps accelerate projects, conduct experiments and tests, build partnerships, and provide access to dedicated ocean-related infrastructure and expertise.

We are looking for innovative and impactful solutions in the following areas:

• Prevention and awareness of plastic pollution,
• Collection of plastics in water networks, rivers, ports, or at sea,
• Recovery and transformation of plastic waste,
• Innovative recycling of collected plastics,
• Circular economy (related to plastics).

Are you a student, researcher, entrepreneur, or a member of an association? Do you have an innovative idea to combat plastic pollution, from source to sea? This call for projects is for you!

Who can participate?

• Students
• Associations
• Researchers
• Start-ups and companies

The proposed projects must directly or indirectly contribute to reducing plastic pollution along the English Channel–North Sea coastline (From Danemark to Brittany)

Projects can offer solutions from upstream (production, awareness, prevention, etc.) to downstream (cleanup, recycling, etc.).

What we offer: Comprehensive support, free of charge

From May 2025 to May 2026, selected projects will benefit from tailored support lasting between 3 to 12 months, depending on their needs:

• Mentorship
• A customizable toolkit
• Networking opportunities with the TREASURE and Nausicaá ecosystem
• Scientific support from ULCO
• Prototyping and experimentation
• Market studies and user testing
• Participation in workshops and conferences

The program can be completed remotely, with some travel required to Nausicaá in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.