News & Events

The VALMAS team delivered a series of dedicated offshore wind stakeholder workshops last month, bringing together representatives from industry, policy, research and environmental management to help shape the project's fieldwork activities and maximise future impact.

The workshops welcomed participants from organisations including RWE, Ørsted, Marine Energy Wales, The Crown Estate and the ECOCHANGE project, alongside researchers from the University of Aberdeen and…

VALMAS had a strong presence at the SIME 2026 ≈ Structures in the Marine Environment – conference in Newcastle, contributing to key discussions on the future of marine artificial structures in a changing offshore energy landscape.

The project was represented across the programme, with Nicky Beaumont presenting an overview of progress and next steps, and Emma McKinley leading a session on Ocean Literacy. Posters from Steve Watson and Gennadi Lessin showcased work on modelling and…

On 6–7 May 2026, the VALMAS consortium came together at Cardiff University and online for a two-day workshop to bring together ‘Critical Friends’ and project partners to review progress and shape key outputs.

Updates highlighted strong momentum across research themes, including stakeholder mapping of over 400 organisations, evidence reviews on carbon and fisheries, and ongoing review of biodiversity research. Participants also discussed fieldwork plans and the development of ecosystem…

Scientists, political advisors and industry leaders from across the globe came together to mark the official launch of a multi-million-pound research project, exploring ways to transform how offshore structures are managed. The three-day series of workshops, led by National Oceanography Centre’s Professor Nicola Beaumont and held at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), officially launched the VALMAS project and sought to shape the direction of the research and foster cross-sector partnership.…