Encouraging business to access world class research facilities brings benefits for both parties...
Wednesday 17 June 10:00 to 10:45 in Conference Room 1 – Seawork 2015, Southampton
Kevin Forshaw, the NOC’s Associate Director of Innovation and Enterprise, will present at Seawork International 2015, alongside Simon Gerrard from the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI) on Wednesday 17 June. The session will examine how businesses can engage with the research base, explore what funded support is available for collaborative R&D, and discuss how to access specialist expertise and testing facilities.
Kevin commented “Encouraging business to access world class research facilities brings benefits for both parties. Sometimes, there is a technical challenge that needs a solution, or we can partner for collaborative research and development that leverages our expertise and testing facilities.”
The NOC is a hub for innovation and development, as evidenced by the £3million investment into the new Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems Innovation Centre, due to open in summer 2015. However, opportunities for collaboration go far beyond technical developments in vehicles and the sophisticated sensor packages they carry.
Kevin continued “Collaborating with businesses, both small and large, locally and internationally, allows them to take the outputs of our research and apply them for positive socio-economic impact – creating new jobs and exports, and ultimately a greater understanding of the ocean environment for the population at large”.
Kevin and Simon will also demonstrate how the NOC and the SMMI have already successfully worked with marine and maritime companies and the benefits these partnerships have delivered to all those involved.