SaferSEA & the European Maritime Day 2024
Project partners Technopôle Brest-Iroise and Cedre, upon invitation from associated partner Brest Metropole, attended the 2024 edition of the European Maritime Day (EMD). The event took place in Svendborg, Denmark, on May 30th and 31st.
While we were out of the Atlantic area, the objective was to network with new stakeholders and give visibility to SaferSEA and the project partners.
1200+ participants registered for this event, where 78 exhibitors presented their projects and innovations for the maritime sector. Technopôle Brest-Iroise and Cedre shared a stand, on the same floor as the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the pilot service of the Danish state DanPilot.
The EMD 2024 also included a series of insightful workshops and plenary sessions. Brest, as former host of the EMD (2023), is part of a network of 5 “EMD Cities”, together with Den Helder (Netherlands, 2021), Ravenna (Italy, 2022), Svendborg (Denmark, 2024) and Cork (Ireland, future host of the EMD in 2025). Each city conducted a workshop dedicated to issues and challenges faced by maritime cities. Brest chose the topic Ocean & Society: Innovation as a Catalyst and invited 3 local organisations for testimonies: Technopôle Brest-Iroise/Campus Mondial de la Mer, Cedre and Océanopolis. Together, we gave examples of how stakeholders join forces and work together on structuring projects for the territory. Afterwards, we engaged in a discussion with the participants, divided in small groups, on the requirements for the construction of a local innovation ecosystem.
The input from this workshop provided a basis for Brest Métropole Vice-President Frédérique Bonnard Le Floc’h’s pitch. Along with elected representatives from the 4 other EMD cities, she took part in a plenary session moderated by Director General of DG Mare, Charlina Vitcheva, and shared the perspectives from Brest.
Also on the agenda: a pitch session on the topic Supporting the Greening of the Maritime Sector: Project examples from CINEA managed programmes in Denmark or a discussion with a Representative from Maersk on the Leading role of the European shipping industry in decarbonisation: High level Industry Representative vision for the future.
After a cancellation of the EMD 2020 in Cork due to Covid, the Irish city will host the 2025 edition. The event will take place on May 22nd and 23rd. A SaferSEA delegation will attend the event, combined with a Partner Meeting hosted by our Cork partner AxisBIC.
See you next year!
