The Baltic Nest Institute has developed a decision support system called the NEST model in order to provide the scientific basis for decision-making at international negotiations. It is aimed at facilitating adaptive management of environmental concern in the Baltic Sea and can be used to calculate required actions needed to attain politically agreed targets for the Baltic Sea ecosystem.

In addition to the continuous development of the NEST-model, BNI is involved in various international projects, collaborating with managers along with social and natural scientist in developing and understanding management options. Research include projects funded by BONUS, HELCOM, EU, Formas, the Swedish Government and other research funding organizations.