Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)

What Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) does

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2019 and based in Washington, DC, that coordinates independent scientific research at the intersection of offshore wind energy development and commercial fisheries on the U.S. East Coast. It was established at the request of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA), the leading commercial fishing industry voice on offshore wind, and began operations with five founding offshore wind developer sponsors: Ørsted, Equinor, Mayflower Wind (Shell), Vineyard Wind, and Atlantic Shores. ROSA's core function is to act as a neutral convener across fishermen, wind developers, federal and state agencies, and academic institutions, defining shared research priorities and pooling funding to commission studies that feed into BOEM, NOAA, and state-level environmental review and leasing decisions.

ROSA's principal products are its research-prioritization outputs and a public knowledge base. The FishFORWRD (Fisheries and Offshore Wind Research Database), launched in November 2022, catalogs more than 240 active and completed research projects and 70 summarized research needs. Building on this, ROSA has introduced the FINsights product line for synthesized research summaries. The organization also administers pooled funding mechanisms, most recently a 2025-2026 Regional Request for Proposals backed by over $3 million from NYSERDA, Equinor (Empire Wind 1), and additional sponsors to commission priority research. Complementary grants — including an NSF Convergence Accelerator award for regional climate projections with fishing communities and a National Offshore Wind R&D Consortium (NREL-administered) award on floating offshore wind and fishing compatibility — extend ROSA's research portfolio beyond fixed-bottom waters.

ROSA's business model is a nonprofit, member- and grant-funded coordination operation rather than a commercial revenue model. Sponsors and state agencies pay annual dues across Contributing ($5,000), Gold ($25,000), and Platinum ($50,000) tiers, while competitive grants from NSF, NREL/NOWRDC, and state energy agencies fund specific research initiatives. The organization is lean, with approximately five employees, and a significant portion of headline grant dollars are pass-through funds to research institutions rather than retained administrative revenue. Its financial trajectory is therefore tightly coupled to the offshore wind leasing and capital-deployment cycle on the U.S. East Coast and to continued state-level political support for cooperative research between fishing and wind interests.

Name

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)

Legal name

Responsible Offshore Science Alliance

Website

https://rosascience.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ROSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that conveners fishing, offshore wind, agency, and academic stakeholders to coordinate independent research on U.S. East Coast offshore wind and fisheries interactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Coordination Services for Offshore Wind and Fisheries

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Offshore Wind & Marine Spatial Planning Regulation (EUAMANAM), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Offshore wind research
• Fisheries monitoring
• Data governance framework
• Research coordination
• Blue economy science

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Sponsorships and Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, ROSA relies on financial contributions from individuals, ocean developers, governmental agencies, and businesses. Sponsorship tiers include Visionary ($50,000), Premiere ($30,000), Collaborator ($10,000), and Featured Partner ($5,000).
2. Research Fund Administration: ROSA administers regional research funding programs, distributing grants to researchers studying offshore wind impacts on fisheries. They have announced over $3 million in funding through their Regional RFP.
3. In-Kind Donations: Volunteering, meeting space, professional services, and other in-kind contributions from advisory body members who contribute their time.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ROSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes and coordinates regional scientific research on the interactions between offshore wind development and fisheries along the U.S. East Coast. It administers research funding, maintains the FishFORWRD research database, develops data governance and monitoring frameworks, runs the Science Scholars fellowship, and coordinates acoustic telemetry and funder working groups. Outputs are provided as open-source resources to fishing industry, offshore wind developers, academia, and government agencies.

Product overview

ROSA is a nonprofit research coordination organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs and tools focused on advancing regional scientific research on fisheries and offshore wind interactions. The core offerings include FishFORWRD (a research database cataloging offshore wind and fisheries studies), the Data Governance Program (providing data standards and policies), FINsights (a fishing industry insights collection platform), and the Regional Research & Monitoring Program (administering research funding). Supporting services include the Science Scholars fellowship, Acoustic Telemetry coordination, Monitoring Framework & Guidelines, Collaborative Research partnerships, and Regional Research Coordination. These products work together as an integrated ecosystem designed to facilitate collaborative science between fishing industry, offshore wind developers, academics, and government agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FishFORWRD: Fish and Fisheries Offshore Wind Research Database - a catalog of all East Coast research, monitoring efforts, and stated research needs for offshore wind, fish, and fisheries.
• FINsights

Products and services

• FishFORWRD (Fish and Fisheries Offshore Wind Research Database) A searchable research database cataloging 240+ East Coast offshore wind and fisheries research and monitoring projects, with 323 individual research needs and a Gaps Analysis tool, intended for use by offshore wind developers, fishing industry, academics, and government agencies.
• Data Governance Program A program supporting FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data sharing for offshore fisheries and offshore wind research, including a Data Governance Committee, data repositories, the ROSA Data Policy, and a Data Management & Sharing Plan template, available to all regional stakeholders.
• FINsights: Fishing Industry Insights An open channel for fishers, captains, and industry members to submit observations, concerns, and knowledge about offshore development and its interactions with fisheries, with submissions used to shape research priorities and identify knowledge gaps.
• Regional Research & Monitoring Program A ROSA-administered program that distributes regional offshore fisheries research funding via the Regional RFP, with over $3 million announced across 10 awarded projects addressing fisheries access, larval fish impacts, and data integration for monitoring.
• Acoustic Telemetry Coordination A coordination initiative led with the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RWSC) and Atlantic Telemetry Cooperative Network (ACT) to standardize and coordinate deployment of acoustic telemetry along the U.S. East Coast, convening federal and state agencies, offshore wind developers, and eNGOs.
• Offshore Wind Project Monitoring Framework and Guidelines An open-source guidelines document that establishes fundamental elements for offshore wind fisheries project monitoring plans, intended for use by offshore wind developers, monitoring contractors, and regulators preparing project monitoring proposals.
• Science Scholars Program A fellowship and internship program that brings on graduate students to gain hands-on experience in fisheries science, data governance, and environmental monitoring, including NYSERDA Fellows doctoral student fellowships and summer internship opportunities.
• Regional Research Coordination (Funder Coordination Working Group) A coordination service convening over a dozen individual funders of research and data collection in U.S. Atlantic waters to bridge gaps in knowledge, promote efficient resource use, and create shared frameworks for research and data management.
• Research Gaps Analysis An analysis tool built on the FishFORWRD database that identifies 70 Summarized Research Needs across 11 research categories to support a common understanding of progress made and outstanding research on offshore wind impacts on fish and fisheries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $3 million in research funding administered across 10 projects addressing key regional research questions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Collaboration on National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium grant project 'Co-Design Solutions for US Floating Offshore Wind Farms and Fishing Compatibility.' NREL led the project with ROSA heading up the Mid-Atlantic component. Project completed September 2025 with release of Focal Fisheries Requirements report.
• University of MainecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for 'Regional climate change projections to enable equitable ocean planning for the blue economy.' Partnered on floating offshore wind and fishing compatibility research using VolturnUS+ test platform.
• Rutgers UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Lead institution on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant. Collaborated on web tools for community climate information integration and ocean economy projections in the Northeast US.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborator on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for regional climate change projections and ocean planning.
• University of ConnecticutminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborator on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for regional climate change projections and ocean planning.
• University of MassachusettsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborator on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for regional climate change projections and ocean planning.
• Pacific Northwest College of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborator on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for regional climate change projections and ocean planning.
• University of WisconsinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaborator on NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for regional climate change projections and ocean planning.
• Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RWSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading effort to coordinate deployment of acoustic telemetry along the East coast. Co-convening funders working group with over a dozen members. Joint development of Data Management & Sharing Plan template.
• Atlantic Telemetry Cooperative Network (ACT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading effort to coordinate deployment of acoustic telemetry along the East coast alongside ROSA and RWSC. Convening federal/state agencies, developers, and eNGOs on acoustic telemetry efforts.
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal regulator participating in Advisory Council and collaborative research. Joint efforts on Synthesis of Science report with NOAA Fisheries and RODA.
• NOAA FisheriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agency participating in Advisory Council. Partnership on BOEM/NOAA Fisheries Survey Simulation Experimentation and Evaluation Project (steering committee). Joint efforts on Synthesis of Science report.
• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional fisheries management body represented on Advisory Council and Board of Directors. Coordinates fishery management for 27 species along Atlantic coast.
• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional fishery management council participating in Advisory Council. Collaborates on research prioritization and fisheries management.
• New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional fishery management council participating in Advisory Council. Collaborates on research prioritization and fisheries management.
• International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational organization where ROSA participates in Working Group on Offshore Wind Development and Fisheries and Working Group on Size and Species Selection Experiments.
• Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFishing industry alliance whose leaders initiated ROSA's creation in 2018. Active Advisory Council member and collaborator on research projects including Synthesis of Science report.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA): Commercial fishing alliance whose leaders founded ROSA in 2018 and remain active Advisory Council and Board participants. RODA is the most direct peer: same East Coast fisheries-wind intersection, complementary advocacy mission, and overlapping board membership.
• National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium: U.S. offshore wind research consortium that co-funded ROSA's floating wind/fishing compatibility project with NREL. Operates as a complementary research funding body at the same intersection of offshore wind and ocean stakeholders.
• Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RWSC): Regional wildlife research coordination body partnering with ROSA on acoustic telemetry along the East Coast. Closely comparable as a multi-stakeholder research convener producing shared data and methods in the offshore development context.

Broad incumbents

• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC): Interstate fisheries management commission coordinating management of 27 Atlantic species; sits on ROSA's Board and Advisory Council. A broader public-sector incumbent that overlaps in marine research coordination and policy influence.
• NOAA Fisheries: Federal agency with statutory authority over fisheries science and offshore wind environmental review; co-author of ROSA's Synthesis of Science report and a Steering Committee partner on survey simulation work. The dominant public-sector incumbent in the same domain.
• International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES): International marine science organization where ROSA participates in the Working Group on Offshore Wind Development and Fisheries. Comparable as a multi-jurisdiction scientific coordination forum, but with global rather than U.S. East Coast scope.

Regional players

• Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO): Multi-state collaborative for Mid-Atlantic ocean planning, addressing offshore development, habitat, and water quality. Comparable as a regional cross-stakeholder coordination body, but with a broader ocean-planning scope rather than ROSA's research-coordination focus.

Emerging players

• The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental nonprofit collaborating with ROSA on the NSF Convergence Accelerator grant and active in offshore wind policy. Comparable as a marine-and-energy NGO stakeholder, but operating at much larger scale and broader mission scope.
• Ocean Conservancy: Marine-focused environmental nonprofit engaged in offshore wind policy and ocean planning. Adjacent peer with overlapping ocean-development stakeholder interests but a national advocacy rather than research-coordination orientation.
• Northeast Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS): Regional ocean-observing association for the Northeast U.S. Comparable as a coastal/marine data coordination organization in the same geography; potential collaborator on data governance and acoustic telemetry initiatives.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ROSA science

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA)