Title: INSITE Research Programme – Phase 3 tender for research
Contract Type: Fixed-term based on the proposed scope
Start Date: From 12th September 2025
Available Funding: Submission costs should be in the £50,000 to £500,000 range.
Bids at the upper end of the range should address more than one of the invitations to tender.
Timeline for Applications:
| Commissioning stage | Dates |
| Open call for outline proposals | 17 April – 25 May 2025 |
| Assessment and feedback for outline proposals | 26 May – 26 June 2025 |
| Closed call for detailed proposals (to successful outline proposals only) | 27 June – 3 August 2025 |
| Assessment and feedback for outline proposals | 4 August – 11 September 2025 |
| Project awards | From 12 September 2025 |
About the INSITE Programme:
The INSITE Programme is an innovative European-wide research programme to investigate the effects of Marine Artificial Structures (MAS), such as those used by the oil and gas, and offshore wind industries, on the marine environment. Since 2015, INSITE has attracted nearly £10 Million in total funding over 2 Phases of research, delivering 18 projects with 17 research institutions from the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and Norway, while establishing a model of collaboration between the scientific community and the oil and gas industry. With INSITE Phase 2 due to end in August 2025 this call is to continue Phase 3 of this critical work.
INSITE Phase 3:
INSITE Phase 3 aims to deliver independent research that enhances understanding of the environmental effects and implications of MAS, to be of use for policy and decision-makers, and industry in the North Sea and beyond. Phase 3 research is focusing on these three priority areas:
A comprehensive review of short-term effects of different decommissioning strategies for subsea oil and gas structures, to include full removal, partial removal and leave in place options, recommending key environmental variables to be considered for decommissioning activity.
An investigation of the fate of materials from rigid oil and gas pipelines decommissioned in place and their potential for impact in the marine environment over the long-term, to include asynthesis of pipeline breakdown literature, accelerated material breakdown studies and dispersal modelling to reveal effects and risks over short (0-5 years), medium (5-30 years) and long-term (30-100+ years) time frames.
An investigation into the attitudes and perceptions towards the decommissioning of oil and gas platforms and offshore wind farms, alongside how shipwrecks are managed, to determine if perceptions change when participants are provided with the latest information about the environmental effects, such as shifts in marine biodiversity, and social and economic considerations, including costs, related to decommissioning or whether structures are left in place.
INSITE Phase 3 has two operational stages: the project phase (19 months), during which research will be carried out in the priority areas; and the impact phase (6 months), during which project and wider-programme activity is set to focus on the dissemination of research findings, stakeholder and policy engagement until the end of the programme in September 2027. INSITE Phase 3 is also partnered with the Natural Environment Research Council to co-fund the Value of the Marine Artificial Structures (ValMAS) programme, furthering our understanding of the environmental values of MAS and how this relates to future management of marine resources.
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