OPIN to Hold Its First Annual Symposium in Dublin

Ocean Power Innovation Network (OPIN) will be holding the projects first OPIN Annual Symposium, taking place alongside the Ocean Energy Europe 2019 Conference in the Convention Centre Dublin on September 30.

The Symposium will provide an opportunity for OPIN members to network and learn more about the supports available through the project. This includes a workshop on the development and application process for the Collaborative Innovation Groups support offered by the project.

The OPIN Project is a 3-year initiative support by Interreg North West Europe and the European Research and Development Fund (ERDF). The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland is leading the project supported by Scottish Enterprise, Sirris, West Atlantic Marine Energy Community, Dutch Marine Energy Centre and Fraunhofer IEE.

OPIN is a cross-sectoral collaborative network that aims to accelerate the growth of the ocean energy sector and its supply chains across the partner regions of Ireland, the UK, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

To achieve its goals, OPIN will encourage collaboration between the ocean energy sector and other sectors, such as oil and gas, automotive, aerospace, ICT, advanced materials, sensors, and manufacturing, to identify ways to grow the ocean energy supply chain. OPIN’s also aims encourage cross-regional collaboration across North West Europe and beyond. OPIN will encourage collaboration through a variety of supports available to members, including:

· Annual Symposiums: to provide networking opportunities for OPIN members;

· Workshops and Masterclasses: to facilitate knowledge transfer between the partner regions;

· Technology Assessment Process (TAPs) Support: to allow companies to benchmark their technologies, map structured development paths and identify potential collaborators;

· Collaborative Innovation Group (CIGs) Support: to support clusters of SMEs, working with research entities/large companies, solving issues identified as barriers to the ocean energy sector;

· Travel Support: enabling SMEs to travel abroad either to take part in an OPIN workshop, masterclass or a CIG meeting or activity.

Annual Symposium

During the Annual Symposium a workshop will be held on the Collaborative Innovation Group (CIG) support mechanism. As a project OPIN has identified known issues that need to be addressed to advance the ocean energy sector. Potential CIG members will be asked to engage in a discussion of how these topics specifically affect them and what type of a solution they are looking for. Solution providers (supply chain companies) in attendance will also be invited to contribute to the discussion.

OPIN said it hopes that through these discussions groups of SME, large companies and research institutes will form CIGs to tackle these identified issues. The discussion will be guided by technical experts from OPIN.

Other Upcoming Events

The Symposium will also promote the upcoming series of OPIN workshops and masterclasses planned in the coming months, beginning with “Energy Policy and Emerging Markets for Offshore Renewables” in Blyth, UK, on 23 October, Maritime solutions for offshore renewable energy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 6 November, and “Advanced Materials and Manufacturing” in Nantes, France, on 12 November.

Register for the OPIN Annual Symposium.