Coastal Research Forum: From mussel beds to offshore energy Coastal Research Centre invites discussion on sustainable coastal strategies

Coastal regions around the world are facing major changes. To address the challenges this presents, the first Coastal Research Forum will take place in Hanover on 11 and 12 September 2025. The conference is being hosted by the Coastal Research Centre (FZK), a joint research institution of Technische Universität Braunschweig and Leibniz Universität Hannover. Under the title ‘Rethinking Coastal Areas: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities’, representatives from science, business, society and politics will discuss current developments in our coastal areas.

Coastal areas are living and economic spaces, home to sensitive ecosystems and, at the same time, hotspots of the energy transition. However, the consequences of climate change, such as rising sea levels and more frequent extreme events, are putting them under pressure. There is increasing conflict between demands for use, for example for the expansion of renewable energies at sea or to secure future food sources, and protection interests.

Sustainable strategies for the design, use and protection of coasts are therefore essential. Coastal research plays a crucial role in this. Innovative, interdisciplinary solutions are needed. That is why the Coastal Research Centre is inviting stakeholders from all relevant areas to exchange ideas at the ‘Coastal Research Forum’: “Coastal research can only succeed through dialogue – between the natural sciences and engineering, society and politics. The forum creates a platform for sharing knowledge and jointly developing viable solutions,” says Professor Nils Goseberg, Director of the Coastal Research Centre and Head of the Department of Hydromechanics, Coastal Engineering and Marine Construction at the Leichtweiß Institute for Hydraulic Engineering at TU Braunschweig.

Professor Torsten Schlurmann from the Ludwig Franzius Institute at Leibniz University Hannover and Deputy Chairman of the German Marine Research Consortium adds: “The expertise and unique research infrastructures represented in the five northern German states are outstanding. This qualifies northern Germany for interdisciplinary research activities, for example to improve the predictability of extreme marine events and natural hazards and to strengthen the resilience of coastal communities.”

The Coastal Research Forum offers keynote speeches, presentations and panel discussions on current challenges in German coastal research. Topics include the impact of mussel beds, nature-based coastal protection measures in St. Peter-Ording, synergies between climate protection and coastal protection, and interdisciplinary projects on the Wadden Sea coast.

Coastal Research Forum 2025: “Rethinking coastal areas – risks, challenges, opportunities

11 and 12 September 2025

Leibniz University Hannover, Institute of Landscape Architecture, Herrenhäuser Straße 2a, 30419 Hannover

Further information is available on the website of the Coastal Research Centre:

https://www.fzk.uni-hannover.de/de/news-und-veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen/1-forum-kuestenforschung