Advancing sustainable and inclusive offshore wind development in Nova Scotia requires a strategic and coordinated research and development (R&D) approach. In response, Net Zero Atlantic has created the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Program. The program is designed to convene knowledge, lay the foundation for high-impact research, and ensure accountability through sustained collaboration and strategic investment.
To date, information and insights have been gathered from communities engagements on the potential of offshore wind in Nova Scotia, presenters and delegates at the 2024 Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum, and recently at a day of roundtables in Halifax.
The roadmap release is the outcome of the roundtables.
Shaping an Offshore Wind R&D Plan for Nova Scotia
The Offshore Wind R&D Priorities Roadmap Report is a consolidation and organization of the R&D priorities identified during the Offshore Wind R&D Roundtable, which was hosted by Net Zero Atlantic in partnership with the Nova Scotia Department of Energy on June 9, 2025. This roundtable event convened 63 experts from academia, research organizations, provincial and federal governments, Indigenous organizations, offshore wind developers and industry associations, fisheries representatives, and community stakeholders to identify the R&D priorities in the report.
The report maps the identified 22 R&D priorities into an offshore wind development timeline and provides an overview of the high-priority R&D topics and areas of focus that emerged from the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Roundtable. Offshore wind interests will be interested to see what information will shape the upcoming Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Plan and how we can further shape upcoming planning. The roadmap is also meant to be a tool for supporting decision-making and offshore wind innovation planning within the region in terms of aligning resources, reducing duplication, and directing investment toward the most critical knowledge gaps, and for supporting the inclusive and sustainable development of Nova Scotia’s offshore wind resource.
Identifying and organizing these discussion-based priorities is an essential step toward building a strategic and coordinated R&D effort. The program is supported in funding from the Nova Scotia Department of Energy.
Download the Report
The Offshore Wind R&D Priorities Roadmap, August 2025 is a deliverable of the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Program project.
Related reports
- What We Heard Report , August 2024 and Summary Report, June 2025 from the Capacity Building for the Sustainable and Inclusive Development of Nova Scotia's Offshore Wind Resource
project in our research portal. - Summary Report, November 2024 from the 2024 Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum