Email News December 2016
Welcome to the December 2016 Email newsletter from Marine South East
If you would like to submit an article for consideration please email the text and a suitable image or logo to sj@mseuk.org
Posted 2016-11-08 12:08:14
Solent LEP launch the Solent Growth Fund
The Solent LEP will be launching its new £2m capital fund, The Solent Growth Fund, offering funding a grant, loan, forward-funding or equity-share basis for SMEs in the Solent on 5th December 2016.
This new fund aims to support businesses and start-ups with high growth potential, businesses seeking to develop new products and enter into new markets, as well as those who are suffering from challenging trading conditions.
Come along to learn about funding opportunities and free business support available in the Solent region and hear from a Solent LEP beneficiary on their experience applying for LEP funding and how it has enabled them to grow their business.
DATE: Monday 5th December 2016
TIME: 1.30 - 4.00pm (Arrivals from 1pm)
LOCATION: Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, Botley Road, West End, Southampton SO30 3XH
RSVP: By 28th November to events@solentlep.org.uk with your name and organisation. Places are first come, first served and are restricted to 1 attendee per organisation.
Target Audience: The event is intended for SMEs and intermediary bodies that provide support for SMEs, therefore places will be prioritised on this basis.
Posted 2016-11-18 17:38:41
Save the date: Dual-Use Innovation Opportunities Event 4th April 2017
Marine South East together with the DUTE (Dual-Use Technology Exploitation) Cluster will be hosting a workshop on 4th April 2017 at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton which will focus on dual-use innovation opportunities in marine and maritime applications.
The event will look at how the Solent region of the UK can exploit its world-class strengths in civil and defence markets through a dual-use strategy.
A number of successful dual-use capabilities already exist within the Solent region including the Centre of Maritime Intelligent Systems, the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems Centre, the new South Coast Satellite Applications Centre, the National Composites Centre hosted at GKN on the Isle of Wight, the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute and Haslar Marine Technology Centre.
The aim of this workshop is to stimulate consortium-building and investment in dual-use innovation and to develop a portfolio of new dual-use collaborative projects that exploit this innovation potential.
The workshop will focus on three technology themes that are currently enjoying strong investment in both civil and military applications, with large numbers of SMEs in the value chain, but where dual-use priorities are not systematically identified. The themes are:
* Marine Autonomous Systems
* Energy storage for marine vehicles
* Surveillance and data analytics
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from funding bodies and industry partners looking to fully exploit the entrepreneurial opportunities and synergies between dual-use products, services and technologies that can drive innovation in both the civil and defence marine and maritime sectors.
The event will be free to attend and will be part of a series of wider business to business events. Registration details together with a programme of events and details of key note speakers will be promoted in the New Year.
Delegates interested in dual-use innovation opportunities should save the date of 4th April 2017 and await further information.
Posted 2016-11-08 13:52:32
Sea trials commence on vessel efficiency project
Sea trials have begun on two Falmouth based pilot vessels which will provide data for the Innovate UK funded MOVE (Monitoring for Operational Vessel Efficiency project.
MOVE (Monitoring for Operational Vessel Efficiency) is an Innovate UK project under the 'Managing Energy on Marine Vessels' Competition.
Rising fuel costs, emissions regulation and concerns about carbon emissions are severe challenges for marine vessel operators and their supply chains. The MOVE project is developing a novel solution to all three, initially targeting the commercial work boat sector.
MOVE technology will allow operators to optimise vessel performance by maximising cost-effectiveness through improved selection of propulsion and generation systems. Additionally, it will enhance mission planning and enable better targeted vessel maintenance.
The MOVE project is developing and validating an easily-fitted system to measure and record the instantaneous power and torque outputs from the vessel's engines, in conjunction with more standard monitored data (engine speed, vessel speed & heading, fuel consumption). Although technology already exists to gather this data it is often time consuming and expensive to install. The project is refining this to provide a device which can be quickly retro-fitted or removed making the system commercially more attractive for vessel owners. MOVE technology will be deployable on a wide range of marine engines including main propulsion and auxiliary power.
Initially, the MOVE system is being deployed on two pilot vessels which have been made available by Falmouth Harbour Commissioners. Data will be collected whilst the Pilots carry out their daily duties providing 'real-time' information from the vessel's systems.
For more information about the project, the test vessels and the project partners please visit:
http://www.marinesoutheast.co.uk/ongoing_projects/?link=collection.php&id=308
To ensure the technology is developed and valorised to meet market demand, the project is facilitating the 'MOVE Interest Group'. Potential end-users and other interested parties will be able to learn more about the project outputs and contribute their ideas as to how it may be used to best advantage in the marine sector. Group members will be the first to see public project information and will be able to interact with the project consortium and others in the Group. Additionally, Interest Group members will be invited to attend workshops, networking sessions and demonstrations as the technology develops.
Membership of the Interest Group is free of charge, to join please use the following link and click the green 'join' button.
http://groupspaces.com/MOVEInterestGroup/
Posted 2016-11-30 16:12:03
Collaboration required to make inland shipping cleaner
Last month seventeen parties, including Marine South East, governments, businesses, and knowledge institutes from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom formalised their commitment to work together on the European LIFE project - CLINSH, or CLean INland SHipping.
By testing innovative technologies, alternative types of fuel, and shore power, the initiative is seeking to achieve big reductions in the emissions caused by inland shipping.
The effects of the tests will be monitored continuously on 30 ships and the data will provide a direction for policymakers in local, regional, national, and international governments and organisations. CLINSH also aims to identify the business cases of the various measures to enable shipping companies to encourage the fleet to become more sustainable.
90 people attended the launch meeting. The conference was opened by President-director Thomas Delschen of LANUV Nordrhein-Westfalen and Rik Janssen, a member of the Provincial Executive of the province of South Holland. Other speakers were Mr Guido de Wilt from the European Commission, and Mr Hans van de Werf, the secretary-general of the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine. The Province of South Holland and the Port of Antwerp gave presentations on CLINSH and the demonstration project, respectively.
The inland shipping industry is currently facing a tough challenge in terms of sustainability. That means that the sector will need to invest in cleaner ships. This is because the international requirements relating to energy-saving and cleaner air are becoming stricter. Customers, too, are increasingly setting good environmental performance as a precondition for the purchase of services.
During the meeting in Düsseldorf, several of those present emphasised the importance of collaboration - not just between the parties in CLINSH, but also with the road and rail sectors, for example, and with the various governments and their agencies. At the starting phase in particular of the changes that the inland shipping sector is experiencing, leaders are needed, as are parties with the courage to invest. To be successful, the CLINSH partners must build connections with administrators, policymakers, and providers of finance. The collaboration between ports, governments, knowledge institutes, and businesses in the four countries was described at the meeting as unique.
The European inland shipping sector has almost fifteen thousand vessels. CLINSH has set itself the objective target of limiting emissions and of reducing the concentrations of nitrogen oxides and particulates caused by inland shipping. It is expected that a quarter of inland shipping vessels will have been adapted to limit emissions by 2025. By 2050, it should be half of all vessels. This will yield a saving of 141 kilotons of nitrogen oxides between 2020 and 2030. In monetary terms, the gain to the environment will be 1.6 billion euros - achieved through lower fuel consumption and better air quality, for example.
For more information on the CLINSH programme please follow the link to this excellent CLINSH movie:
http://www.strawberryfields.nu/project/clinsh.html
Posted 2016-11-16 13:24:09
Low carbon growth 'imperative', Vince Cable tells Future South Conference
The growth of the South’s low carbon economy must ‘remain an imperative’ despite the uncertainties of Brexit and weak sterling, a major conference on green business has heard.
Former Business Secretary Sir Vince Cable told the annual Future South event that companies and organisations needed to have environmental sustainability in mind as a long-term strategy.
Speaking to an audience of 200 businesses leaders, technologists, academics and local authority representatives, Sir Vince said: "Politicians come and go but a long-term commitment to invest in the green economy must remain an imperative whatever our government and whatever trading relationships we have. We shouldn’t be deflected from that."
The conference, at Winchester Guildhall, brought together recipients of green growth grants, loans and other funding channeled through the Future South partnership and Greentech South, the UK’s first dedicated ‘environment and energy cluster’.
Marine South East's Simon Powell was a member of the panel session that introduced Blue Growth Opportunities at the conference. Simon spoke about Marine South East's work with E.ON, the Sussex Wind Energy online supplier portal and opportunities in the Blue Economy for SMEs.
The conference was sponsored jointly by Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, Crossprint and Bouygues UK.
Posted 2016-11-14 13:38:33
Open-access marine data, an untapped resource?
5 partners of the EU COLUMBUS project, including Marine South East recently hosted a successful marine data brokerage event for SMEs. The workshop entitled 'Power of open marine data for the blue economy' took place as part of the Connected Ocean Conference and SeaTech Week 2016 in Brest, France.
Publicly available marine data resources offer a great potential for SMEs to create value-added products and services for their customers. The workshop aimed at linking with some of those SMEs as well as other users working on the public-private interface, and collecting their feedback on experiences, needs, bottlenecks, and suggestions for improvements.
The workshop was organized within the framework of the EU Horizon 2020 COLUMBUS project. COLUMBUS works to bridge the gap between the knowledge and information collected through EU projects and concrete applications for Blue Growth sectors.
It has been recognized that making public marine data available to private sector will drive forward innovation and competition. The EU Member States and European institutions fund a large number of ocean observing research and infrastructure activities to derive marine data for various science, policy, and society needs. It has been estimated that making high-quality marine data held by public bodies in the EU widely available would improve productivity by over Euro 1 billion a year.
A number of European initiatives have been harvesting marine data collected by publicly-funded national and pan-European initiatives. Much progress has been made over the last years in helping users to become informed about the data available, visualize these data, download them in required geographical location and format, and acquire the metadata for the required dataset. However, a number of bottlenecks still exist, spanning data availability, quality, user-friendly format and web services.
For more information on the event and the COLUMBUS initiative please visit:
http://www.columbusproject.eu/
Posted 2016-11-17 17:34:05
Launch of the Solent LEP Solent Growth Fund, 5th December 2016, Southampton
Solent LEP will be launching its new £2m capital fund - the Solent Growth Fund - offering funding on a grant, loan, forward-funding or equity-share basis for SMEs in the Solent on 5th December 2016 at the Hilton Ageas Bowl.
This new fund aims to support businesses and start-ups with high growth potential, businesses seeking to develop new products and enter into new markets, as well as those who are suffering from challenging trading conditions.
Come along to learn about funding opportunities and free business support available in the Solent region and hear from a Solent LEP beneficiary on their experience applying for LEP funding and how it has enabled them to grow their business.
DATE: Monday 5th December 2016
TIME: 1.30 - 4.00pm (Arrivals from 1pm)
LOCATION: Hilton at the Ageas Bowl, Botley Road, West End, Southampton SO30 3XH
RSVP: By 28th November to events@solentlep.org.uk with your name and organisation. Places are first come, first served and are restricted to 1 attendee per organisation.
Target Audience: The event is intended for SMEs and intermediary bodies that provide support for SMEs, therefore places will be prioritised on this basis.
Posted 2016-11-18 17:43:55
How Degree Apprenticeships Can Work For You, 7th December 2016, Portsmouth
Join the University of Portsmouth for this one-off Hot Topic seminar to find out about the subsidised Government scheme that could help you progress an an employee, develop existing staff and recruit new, high calibre employees by offering a real alternative to full-time study.
The government approach to apprenticeships has changed; they have introduced new Degree Apprenticeships and also revised the funding arrangements to encourage industry to take advantage of these excellent programmes.
The University of Portsmouth has introduced its first degree apprenticeship this year, the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship, which is one of the new trailblazer apprenticeships designed to help organisation train their existing staff or recruit new employees to help fill the skills gap. During the event you will be able to hear from companies engaged in the new programme, their expectations and early feedback from their apprentices.
You will also hear about the University's plans to launch a further 5 degree apprenticeships in September 2017, these include: -
Masters Degree Chartered Manager Apprenticeship
Chartered Apprenticeship for B2B Sales Professional
Digital Technology Solutions Professional Degree Apprenticeship
Embedded Electronics Systems Design and Development Engineer Degree Apprenticeship
Chartered Surveyor Degree Apprenticeship
The two funding systems for companies are: -
Levy Paying: - Companies with an annual paybill over £3m will have to contribute 0.5% of their paybill to a levy pot to fund their apprenticeships - this fund can only be used to fund apprenticeships.
Non-Levy Paying companies with a paybill less than £3m will have their apprenticeships 90% subsidised by the government.
As one of the first providers for this programme in 2016, the University of Portsmouth would like to share with you our experience so far.
Guest speakers will discuss:
* Portsmouth University as providers of Degree Apprenticeships.
* Further information on the levy and how it could affect your organisation.
* Hear from our employers.
* The benefits for you and your employees.
During a cheese and wine reception, you will also have the opportunity to meet with current employers and Degree Apprentices enrolled on the scheme.
To register for this event please visit:
Please register http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/degree-apprenticeships-explained-registration-27985185443
Posted 2016-11-30 17:13:01
All at sea with your funding? Find out about £250,000 grants for SMEs in the Solent and New Forest, 7th December 2016, Southampton
Come and hear about the £250,000 of grant funding competition for small and medium sized marine and maritime businesses and new start ups in the Solent and New Forest District.
At the event delegates will be able to:
* Meet with the Solent Growth Hub and Partners to access business support
* Discover how Rangewell and its partners work to support your Growth plan and funding
* Find out about assistance to find the right Apprentice for your business
* Find out how to build your Marketing plan to reach the right customers at the right time
* Attend dedicated One to One clinics to discuss your individual growth plan
The event will take place on 7th December 2016 from 11.00 - 14.00 in the Ageas Bowl near Southampton, in the Robin Smith Room.
To reserve your place please email james@solentgrowthhub.co.uk
