On December 4th, SEADITO was well represented among leading voices from research, government, and industry at the Sunne Hav og Vann innen 2030 conference in Trondheim. Hosted by NIVA and SINTEF Ocean, the event brought together experts to discuss how Norway and Europe can accelerate progress toward healthy oceans and waters by 2030, in line with the EU’s Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters.
We are grateful to Jacques Delsalle from the European Commission, DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, for taking the time to attend the conference. His presence highlighted the importance of European collaboration and offered a unique opportunity for him to witness first hand the innovations and developments driving progress toward the 2030 mission.
Municipal leaders and industry partners also shared concrete examples of how local action is driving change, from aquaculture and offshore wind coexistence to marine restoration technologies.
🌊 Digital Twins of the Ocean: A Shared Stage
The session on Digital Twins of the Ocean, moderated by SEADOTs Coordination Team, featured a strong lineup of European projects pushing the boundaries of ocean modelling and governance. Presentations included:
- EDITO ModelLab – Numerical modeling of the European Digital Twin Ocean, by Laurent Bertino (NERSC)
- DTO4OWE – Data harvesting and Digital Twin Oceans, by Andrew Luke King (NIVA)
- DTO BioFlow – Integration of Biodiversity monitoring data into the Digital Twin Ocean, by Muriel Dunn and Dana King (SINTEF Ocean)
- SEADITO – Social-ecological analysis and models for digital twin ocean, by Rachel Haug Fossbakk (SINTEF Ocean)
- SEADOTs – Bridging Socio-Ecological Data with Innovative Digital Solutions for Sustainable Ocean Management, by Lara Veylit (SINTEF Ocean)
🔬 Different scales, shared ambition
The projects demonstrated how digital twins can function across different scales. EDITO ModelLab offered a broad, more technological and digital modeling perspective, while SEADITO and SEADOTs concentrated on regional applications. Their work goes beyond quantitative datasets, incorporating socio‑ecological and qualitative information, a more complex undertaking, but essential to ensure that digital twins capture the lived realities of communities and ecosystems.
Together, these initiatives illustrated how the European Digital Twin Ocean is progressing: moving from a conceptual framework toward a practical tool that local authorities can use in everyday governance. Panelists from Møre og Romsdal County Council stressed the importance of making digital twins relevant at smaller scales. They emphasized that for these tools to be credible, they must integrate real‑world, real‑time data tailored to the specific areas being managed. Narrowing information down to the local level, while maintaining accuracy, was highlighted as both a challenge and a necessity. In this context, the ecological and stakeholder data gathered through SEADITO is vital, embedding local knowledge and competencies about the ocean and waters directly into the model. Without these perspectives, digital twins risk losing much of their practical value for decision‑makers.
🌱 SEADITO in focus
SEADITO as one of the key EU project advancing socio‑ecological integration into digital twin models, were represented by:
- Rachel Haug Fossbakk, Chief Research Scientist (SINTEF Ocean) presented SEADITO’s approach to embedding stakeholder perspectives and ecological data into digital twin frameworks. Achieved through structured workshops, ensuring methodological cohesion by applying the same methods consistently across all case areas and over multiple rounds. The result is reliable, comparable data that strengthens the digital model and guarantees that it reflects both ecological realities and the social dimensions of local communities.
- Eva Næss Karlsen, Chief adviser (Oslo region alliance), who contributed in two panel sessions, one on Digital Twin of the Oceans and the final session on how to ensure that relevant stakeholders implement new knowledge and new solutions developed in Mission Ocean-projects. With an extensive number of municipalities influencing water quality and ecosystems in the fjord, Eva emphasized the importance of regional governance bodies gaining access to the Digital Twin.
“I found it very useful to participate, says Eva. I think developers of DTOs must increase the end-user-focus in their projects. In particular where local, regional or national government are the end-users, they must be included in the development to meet the governments’ needs and their goals. I believe for the case of the Oslofjord, we need a DTO that contribute in more adaptive governence, than what is the situation today.”
“The same argument applies for the last panel, where I participated. We need local and regional government to be partners in projects in the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 , to ensure that the projects and the results and tools developed are relevant and useful for the society.”
🤝 Synergies Across the SEAtwins
The collaboration between SEADITO and SEADOTs within the SEAtwins cluster was clearly visible at the conference. By presenting side‑by‑side, the projects demonstrated how socio‑ecological integration is becoming a central pillar of digital twin development. This synergy strengthens the collective impact of Horizon Europe projects under the Mission Ocean and Waters framework.
The conference also provided a valuable opportunity for researchers to connect with other projects working with ocean restoration — sharing insights and experiences, but equally important, engaging with the people who will ultimately use these tools. Representatives from municipalities and counties across Norway, alongside industry partners, were present. These actors are the cornerstones of practical ocean action – from cleanup and restoration to pollution prevention – and their involvement ensures that digital twin technologies are grounded in real‑world needs.
The conference showcased the momentum building across Europe to deliver actionable knowledge for ocean sustainability. SEADITO’s role in embedding socio‑ecological perspectives ensures that digital twins are not only technological innovations, but also tools for inclusive governance and real‑world impact.
Key takeaway: SEADITO is proud to contribute to the collective effort of making oceans and waters healthy by 2030. With our partners at SINTEF and Oslo Regionen demonstrating how socio‑ecological digital twins can empower decision‑makers and communities in Norway, and with the honor of having Jacques Delsalle (European Commission, DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) witness these developments, the SEATwin cluster stands at the forefront of shaping digital ocean innovation for sustainability.
Author & pictures: Håkon Slørdahl