INTERNSHIP SEAWEED CULTIVATION

2021-10-26

The Hague | 40 hours per week | 6 months | per February 2022 

Are you a university or college student with an interest in sustainability, innovation and offshore seaweed production? Do you want to work for a better climate, the food transition and a circular economy? Then we are looking for you! 

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? 

You will be part of the Offshore Test Site-team; learning all the ins- and outs of offshore seaweed cultivation. You will work on projects that investigate the requirements of cultivation and processing of seaweed for current and future seaweed farmers. You will be in contact with a lot of different stakeholders, allowing you to really deep dive in the seaweed world. Next to that, you will contribute to gathering knowledge and to our role as  coordinator of offshore multi-use projects at our own Offshore Test Site (OTS). We currently run five different pilots at this test site, you will help our OTS-coordinator with the needs for the projects. Examples are: 

 

  • Setting up databases for, among other things, safe innovation at the OTS; 

  • Hands-on work like seeding & harvesting of seaweed, support at inspections trips to the OTS or maintenance of our data buoy; 

  • Professionalising the risk and requirements register for seaweed cultivation & multi-use installations within offshore wind farms and developing knowledge databases. 

  • You will work in close collaboration with the other North Sea Farmers within our community. 

WHO ARE WE? 

North Sea Farmers is an international non-profit hands-on sector organization supporting the seaweed industry. We consist of about 100 very diverse members and partners and our team of 10 professionals. NSF works on joint projects and knowledge exchange on all aspects of sustainable, large-scale seaweed cultivation in the North Sea. That is why we also facilitate our unique Offshore Test Site: a plot of 6km², 12 km off the coast of Scheveningen where our members can test innovations under offshore conditions. 

WHY SEAWEED? 

Both the climate crisis and the growth of the world population challenge us to look for new solutions. The cultivation of seaweed is a great opportunity in this regard: seaweed does not require land surface, fresh water or fertilizers to grow, making it one of the most sustainable crops to grow. It is a very versatile and nutritious plant that can be used for all kinds of (sustainable) applications: as food for humans, animals and plants, as packaging material and even biogas. We are working here on a sector that grows high-quality, safe and local seaweed in a nature-inclusive and innovative way. Our vision? Sea farms that pursue the synergy between nature (reinforcement), food (production) and energy (production). Seaweed is grown between the offshore wind farms, in order to make multiple use of the space at sea. 

YOUR PROFILE 

  • You work precise and at the same time you can see the bigger picture; 

  • You have a hands-on mentality and are able to work independently; 

  • You are social and dare to approach people; 

  • You can speak both Dutch and English appropriately 

  • You are a MSc student with an appropriate profile, such as engineering, management of technology or the technical side of aquaculture; 

  • You are interested in the cultivation side of seaweed and the offshore sector; 

  • You are available from February 2022 onwards for six months period (full-time) in The Hague (depending on the current RIVM guidelines). 

OUR OFFER 

  • A challenging and varied internship for a unique organisation with a mission; 

  • A small organisation with a motivated team that likes to get their hands dirty and gets things done; 

  • A full-time internship allowance of € 275 per month. 

INTERESTED?

Send your letter of motivation (max. one page) and CV before November 22nd by e-mail to info@northseafarmers.org. Would you like to know more? Mail Zinzi Reimert via zinzi@northseafarmers.org 

more news