Conference looks to technology to get more from marine resources

Businesses and researchers developing technology solutions for the marine sector will have greater opportunities to test their innovations in an ocean environment following the launch of SmartBay Ireland – a not-for-profit company.

Photo Prof. Fiona Regan, DCU presents Dr Mike Hartnett, NUIG with the SmartBay Research Innovator Award.

“We now have a national research, test and demonstration platform for marine technologies where the research community can work together with small and large enterprise to develop innovative solutions for the marine sector,” remarked Mike Devane, SmartBay Ireland Ltd chairman at the launch during the SmartOcean workshop in Galway last month.

SmartBay Ireland Ltd
SmartBay Ireland is responsible for establishing developing a national research, test and demonstration facility to support the application and translation of research and to provide platforms for testing and demonstrating new technologies and solutions for marine and related sectors. The company provides access to researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs who use both its physical and cyber environment to develop innovative solutions.

SmartBay was established to support the national objective of sustainably developing Ireland’s ocean wealth. It is at the core of the SmartOcean cluster, and provides the basis and support for national and international collaborations between public and private interests, engaging research, technology, and commercial companies, and is focused clearly on ‘shared’ development of the North Atlantic.

SmartBay Ireland is sponsored by state agencies including the Marine Institute and is funded under Cycle V of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions funded by the Higher Education Authority.

SmartOcean Cluster
Ireland’s Smart Ocean Innovation Cluster is a network of companies, academic research groups, and State agencies with a collective focus on the strategic development of Ireland’s marine assets and resources and is focused on leveraging technological innovation for economic impact. Within the SmartOcean Cluster a range of technologies coalesce as new innovative products and solutions addressing new emerging markets. The cluster also promotes engagement among all members and offers the SmartBay platform as a hub to support advanced research and enable product and service development and testing. A key strategy is to extend its reach internationally and to establish effective links with Industry Partners.

SmartBay National Infrastructure Access Fund
The fund is designed to support researchers wishing to conduct translational research in the marine environment. This fund will seed awards (typically €2,000-€25,000) to research teams through a competitive process and is open to all Higher Education Institutions on the island of Ireland. The goal is to rapidly grow the research base to encompass new academic research teams, SMEs, and MNCs, nationally and internationally, and to demonstrate socio-economic impact.

Focus of workshop was to identify challenges in aquaculture, security, logistics and renewable energy sectors that require innovative technology solutions so that the research community and industry can work together to develop collaborative projects to address those challenges.

“Development of our ocean wealth is dependent upon our ability to extend our research capacity and make it work effectively with large and small industry to address new challenges as they arise in the marine. The SmartOcean Cluster and SmartBay are excellent examples of how research and industry can partner to use technology and create new enterprise,” commented Simon Coveney, TD, Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine.

A new research fund of €400,000 sponsored by Dublin City University was also launched at the event, by Prof. Fiona Regan, Director MESTECH group and Research Programme Leader for SmartBay.

“The SmartBay National Infrastructure Access Fund will provide competitive funding over a two- year period to enable the test and translation of applied research and technology solutions to the announced test facility in Galway Bay,” Prof Regan remarked.

The event also recognised two research leaders – Dr Tim McCarthy, NUI Maynooth and Dr Mike Hartnett – NUI Galway, for their respective contributions to research within the SmartOcean Cluster in the area of geospatial information technologies and development of operational ocean forecast systems.

Twenty-two innovative Irish companies showcased their marine focused technology solutions in the marine pavilion at the Volvo Global village.