〜Advancing Toward a “Floating Future” Through Large-Scale Collaboration〜

Session 2: Scale, Duration, and Participants

The international research project “Floating Future,” originating in the Netherlands, is not merely an engineering experiment. It is a grand endeavor driven by the unified efforts of the national research funding agency, universities, research institutes, local governments, businesses, and civic groups. This collaborative framework itself is a defining feature of the project and has garnered significant global attention.

This time, we will introduce the project's scale, duration, and the diverse partners involved.

◾️Research Scale and Funding

Floating Future is being advanced with funding from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The support amounts to approximately 5.3 million euros (over 800 million yen), ensuring stable research activities over a five-year period.

It's not just about the large sum of money. This funding will be allocated across diverse research fields, including not only “technology development” but also “institutional design,” “social acceptability studies,” and “environmental impact assessments.” In other words, Floating Future is positioned not as a project to “just build a floating structure,” but as a demonstration study to verify the vision of future cities with society as a whole.

◾️Project Period

The research period spans five years from January 2024 to December 2028.

This five-year period is anticipated to proceed in three major phases.

1. Initial Phase (2024–2025)

・Conduct foundational research in areas assigned to each research institution.

・Organize workshops with citizens and stakeholders to clarify issues of social acceptability

and governance.

2. Mid-Term Phase (2025–2026)

・Technical model testing (e.g., module connection experiments in wave tanks).

・Concrete proposals regarding policy and legal frameworks.

・Implement citizen participation programs and public events to deepen dialogue with society.

3. Final Phase (2027–2028)

・Integrate research findings and publish them as multiple case studies.

・Present a roadmap for floating infrastructure applicable to diverse locations such as the　North Sea, port cities, and inland waterways.

・Share outcomes with government, local authorities, and civic groups to take the first steps toward implementation.

Thus, Floating Future is designed as a comprehensive project encompassing everything from theoretical research to preparations for social implementation.

◾️Lead Agency and Research Partners

• Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN)

Plays a central role in Floating Future. This institute is globally recognized for its excellence in sea trials and floating structure simulations, and is positioned as the leader for the technical part.

Additionally, the following research institutions and universities are collaborating.

• Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

A globally renowned technical university participating in fields such as architecture, marine engineering, and urban planning. It also plays a significant role in modular design and governance research.

• University of Groningen

Researching “social acceptability” and “economic viability” from social science and economics perspectives. We delve into how people perceive floating cities.

• Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ)

Responsible for research on ecosystems and environmental impacts. Evaluates the effects of floating structures on water quality and biodiversity.

• Deltares

An independent research institute specializing in flood control and coastal management. It will examine how to integrate floating cities with existing water management policies.

◾️Participation by Government, Local Authorities, Businesses, and Civic Groups

Another feature of Floating Future is that it involves not only research institutions but also diverse entities from society.

• Government Agency

The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management participates and serves as a bridge to policy-making.

• Municipalities

Municipalities that actually have waterfront cities, such as the City of Amsterdam and the City of Rotterdam, are participating. They aim to utilize the research findings in their own urban strategies.

• Corporations and Startups

Participating firms include design offices specializing in floating structures, law firms, and companies dealing in environmental technologies, all contributing expertise toward practical implementation.

• Citizen Groups

Particularly noteworthy is the involvement of organizations like the Blue Revolution Foundation as co-founders, actively incorporating “citizen voices.” This establishes a framework aimed at creating floating cities that are genuinely acceptable to citizens, rather than mere theoretical studies.

◾️From the OCI Perspective

We focus on this scale precisely because “multi-disciplinary collaboration” is the key to making floating cities a reality. OCI's vision of a “multi-purpose, mobile waterborne hub” cannot be realized solely through technology; it must simultaneously address institutional, environmental, and societal interfaces. The Floating Future framework exemplifies this model approach. The unified effort of government, researchers, businesses, and citizens to envision future cities aligns perfectly with OCI's vision of “creating a marine civilization.”

As OCI, we will continue to monitor the progress of this project and explore how we can apply its insights to our own “Project Seatopia.”

Sources

・Floating Future official site: floating-future

・Blue Revolution: bluerevolution.org