Europe’s rivers, lakes, wetlands and seas need people who know how to bring them back to health, and who can turn restoration science into practical action. The Nature Restoration Academy is a new training opportunity designed to build exactly that: practical, hands-on skills in marine and freshwater restoration for the next generation of professionals and practitioners.
What is the Nature Restoration Academy
The Nature Restoration Academy runs from 29 to 30 October 2026 at SUBMARINER’s Berlin office, preceded by an online baseline session that gives all participants a shared starting point. It is hosted by the SUBMARINER Network and funded by EIT Water, with support from the Poul Due Jensen Foundation (Grundfos Foundation).
The Academy builds directly on an existing course, Integrated Ocean Planning: Marine Protected Areas, Multi-Use and Business Pathways, part of the Blue Bio Techpreneurs programme already followed by 464 learners from more than 80 countries. Where that course lays the theoretical groundwork, the Academy adds practical, in-person restoration training across the land-freshwater-marine continuum.
How the restoration training programme is structured
The Academy runs in three parts:
- An online baseline session, drawing on the existing Blue Bio Techpreneurs course content, so every participant starts from the same foundation.
- A two-day event in Berlin, combining partner lectures, restoration case studies and workshops, including the MPA Game, a multi-stakeholder negotiation simulation, and a dedicated session on gender equality in the sector delivered by WIN-BIG.
- A new online module, created from the recorded Berlin sessions and added to the Blue Bio Techpreneurs course on FutureLearn, so the knowledge shared in the room reaches learners well beyond it.
Topics covered include nature-based solutions for marine and freshwater restoration, European restoration case studies, citizen science and digital monitoring, restoration in offshore wind parks, and the business models and funding mechanisms that keep restoration projects running.
Who can apply
The Academy is open to early-career professionals, students and practitioners working on marine or freshwater restoration. Up to 30 participants will be selected to join.
Participation is free of charge, and a contribution towards travel costs is available for those coming from outside Germany.
How to apply
Submit a short motivation statement by 15 September via jotform. Selected participants will be informed by 1 October.
Apply now
Contribute a lecture or case study
Are you working in marine or freshwater restoration and interested in sharing your expertise? We are looking for lecturers and workshop leads to deliver sessions of around one hour, in person, in Berlin. Sessions can combine a short lecture with an interactive workshop.
All sessions are recorded and later form part of the new restoration module on FutureLearn, so your contribution continues to reach learners long after the event itself.
Get in touch at info@submariner-network.eu to discuss a contribution.
