SmartOcean's Call of the Sea for Emerging Marine Tech Opportunities

21st October 2013

SmartOcean Ireland invites ICT companies to register for the SmartOcean Forum 2013 at the Titanic Centre, Belfast, 5-6 November and join Ireland's emerging marine technology sector to develop high-tech products and services for the global marine sector.

The purpose of this all-island event is to highlight the commercial opportunities and emerging innovations of Ireland's SmartOcean Cluster. The forum, sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland, will focus on key areas such as blue growth, marine data and knowledge, renewable ocean energy, sustainable exploitation of marine resources and ocean observation.

SmartOcean, a Marine Institute led initiative, aims to establish Ireland as a leader in the development of specialist ICT products and services for global marine sectors.

Dr. Edel O'Connor, National Coordinator, Advanced Marine Technology Programme said: "We have a huge opportunity here in Ireland to translate technologies for global marine markets including traditional sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, transport and security as well as emerging sectors such as ocean energy and environmental monitoring, and ocean observatories. We want to bring together ICT companies, large and small, in Ireland, the European Atlantic States, the US and Canada to collaborate and deliver new marine technology products and services."

Alison Gowdy, Head of Sector and Cluster Development at economic development agency Invest Northern Ireland, commented "ICT companies in Northern Ireland are enjoying global success in many areas relevant to the SmartOcean event, including wireless sensors, data analytics, mobile and wireless comms, and underwater monitoring. Invest Northern Ireland is pleased to sponsor the event which is being held in Belfast this year for the first time".

The forum will have a strong transatlantic focus building on the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation signed earlier this year (23 May 2013) at the Marine Institute by EU Commissioners Maire Geoghegan Quinn and Maria Damanaki, Edward Fast for Canada and Dr Kerri-Ann Jones on behalf of the US Government.

Speakers from US, Canada, and Europe will include Dr. Gilles Ollier, Head of Sector Earth Observation, DG for Research & Innovation, European Commission, Dan Fay, Director, Earth, Energy and Environment, Microsoft Research, and Andrei Grigoriev, Senior Director Enterprise Services SAP as well as the European Space Agency,

The forum will give insights on emerging markets, policy and opportunities for innovation associated with the launch of Horizon 2020 in 2014 and will work towards achieving targets set out in Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth – An Integrated Marine Plan for Ireland.

For more information and registration visit www.smartocean.org

Published in Marine Science

Tagged under

marine science

About The Author

Afloat.ie Team

Email The Author

Afloat.ie is Ireland's dedicated marine journalism team.

Have you got a story for our reporters? Email us here.

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.

You might also want to read...

Marine Science Perhaps it is the work of the Irish research vessel RV Celtic Explorer out in the Atlantic Ocean that best highlights the essential nature of marine research, development and sustainable management, through which Ireland is developing a strong and well-deserved reputation as an emerging centre of excellence. From Wavebob Ocean energy technology to aquaculture to weather buoys and oil exploration these pages document the work of Irish marine science and how Irish scientists have secured prominent roles in many European and international marine science bodies.