Economic 
pillar

The UNITED Economic Pillar will focus on the economic viability of the pilots as well as future implementation of such frameworks, and explore the added economic benefits of ocean multi-use, such as:

  • Increasing efficiency of operations
  • Spreading costs of offshore operations across different maritime activities
  • Reducing the demand on marine space
  • Expanding business models to reduce the risks for operators and investors.

The products of the Economic Pillar:


multi-methods approach to assess costs and benefits at the implementation level and pilot level, taking into account the impacts of multi-use on ecosystem functions and services as well as on society. The framework will be applied to the five pilots.


Business briefs for each pilot, detailing the costs and benefits of the multi-use and its associated activities. The briefs will also include information on local socio-ecological impact of the pilot.


Generic business models for the commercial rollout of ocean multi-use to promote their uptake and upscaling, based on lessons learnt from practical implementation in the pilots. The models will aim to support the sustainable operation of MUCLs, showcase success factors in bringing technology “from lab to market” and highlight possible trade-offs and costs for other sectors (e.g. fisheries, tourism, marine transportation).