Blue Economy Science Summit (BESS) is a place where representatives from science, industry and policy meet. The focus of this year’s edition were the game-changing aspects of digitization in the blue economy. Under the theme of "The Digital Sea" the event offered a dynamic platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and active participation in shaping the future of the blue economy.
This year, BESS took on an international dimension, as one of the events of the Belgian EU presidency providing inspiration and demonstrating the leading position of Flemish and Belgian companies and organizations in the development of a Digital Sea. The event kicked off a new innovation cycle for the Baltic and North Seas as part of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. This innovation cycle targets “MULTI-USE and MARIPARKS” as well as “SMART SEA AND SECURITY” and is designed to be a catalyst for project ideas and consortia which will eventually feed into the main targets set for the area: carbon neutrality and circularity.
The event offered a unique opportunity to connect with industry leaders, researchers, and innovators, contributing to the ongoing dialogue on the digital future of the blue economy.
Programme
13:30 Registration & welcome coffee
14:00 Welcome & introduction
Moderator Marijn Rabaut (Blue Cluster) and Blue Mission Banos project lead Angela
Schultz-Zehden (S.Pro)
14:30 Science-industry-policy collaboration linked with the goals of Mission Ocean
Jan Mees (VLIZ, General Director)
presentation: bess2024_janmees.pdf
14:45 Trends and gaps in digitalisation in sustainable blue economy
Piet Opstaele (Blue Cluster, CEO)
15:00 Pitches: introduction to the break-out sessions
15:15 Break-out sessions: choice between three parallel sessions (more information & presentations below)
17:00 Keynote presentation: Understanding the contribution of Flanders' public marine data to society
- Value chains of public marine data
Claire Jolly (OECD, Head of Innovation Policies for Space and Oceans Unit)
17:30 Wrap-up and Q&A
17:45 Network reception (until 19:00)
Photo report
A retrospect of the day in photos can be found at this link
Afternoon sessions
In the afternoon sessions , we offer the possibility to either join experts from industry, policy and research for a 1,5 hour deep dive into two specific topics, or let yourself be inspired by our inspirational sessions, where we offer shorter sessions with panel discussions, presentations and lots of interaction on hot topics ranging from autonomous navigation, over digital twins to smart monitoring.
Smart Sea & Security
Within the Blue Economy, more and more challenges arise regarding the security of activities at sea and in ports, with a specific emphasis on critical infrastructure. In response to this, Blue Cluster is developing an innovation roadmap on ‘Maritime Security’. This roadmap aims to bring together companies that provide solutions and companies that experience specific challenges in the field of maritime system and asset security and to accelerate innovations within this domain.
Blue Cluster kicks off the session presenting the current state of play of this roadmap, covering its background, evolution, current status, and today's objectives. IMEC will give an insight in RANTZEE (a joint innovation center undertaking mission-driven research) and elaborate on their technology roadmap, which includes elements such as perimeter detection and derisking underwater technology. Blue Cluster provides a strong connection with industry, while Rantzee/IMEC offers a strong technological perspective.
Yvan De Mesmaeker (Secretary General of the European Corporate Security Association – ECSA) will act as keynote speaker and will provide a valuable insight into the challenges of offshore security and critical infrastructure. During a panel discussion we will debate and share positions and arguments on this subject with the public, companies and knowledge institutions active in this domain. The goal of this deep-dive is to bridge connections with industry and to build a network and set up collaborations for future innovation projects.
Presentations:
- bess2024_safeguarding-infrastructure-at-sea.pdf
- bess2024_rantzee.pdf
Maripark
Let’s combine sustainability, innovation and economic growth into a real ‘Maripark’ and optimally use marine space while safeguarding the marine area in a socially inclusive way. Blue Cluster inspires with a promising concept for implementing multi-use at sea: a Maripark. The concept stimulates a sustainable blue economy as well as effective nature restoration. A Maripark capitalises on synergies between different sectors and proposes an integrated governance and permitting context. Today, the focus is on practical implementation of this risk-reducing infrastructure and potential opportunities of a Maripark (Kinnie De Beule, Innovation manager, Blue Cluster). The context setting is followed by the European Commission’s ambitions for a sustainable blue economy and the new multi-use compendium on multi-use and co-existence at sea, outlined by Céline Frank (Policy officer for Sustainable Blue Economy, Aquaculture and Maritime Spatial Planning, European Commission - DG Mare).
After having set the scene, 4 companies will pitch opportunities for their business in Mariparks: A Maripark as an enabling infrastructure that releases pressure for entrepreneurs (Timothy Vanagt, ORG Permanent modernity; Erwin Coolen, ECHT; Tine Boon, Tractebel and Luka Barbetti; IMDC.
Project ideas are worked-out during a ‘role play’ workshop and a panel discussion on the results.
Presentation: bess2024_mariparks.pdf
Inspirational sessions
The inspirational session tackles different hot topics related to the digital sea. During shorter interventions (15-20 minutes) participants get a quick update on the latest developments linked to marine robots, the Digital Twin of the Ocean and the use of AI in offshore monitoring. Curious about the next steps towards autonomous shipping in the North Sea? Want to know more about the Digital Twin of the Ocean and the opportunities of AI for industry and research? Pick and explore the sessions you are interested in. Opportunities for Q& A and networking with the speakers will be provided.
15:15 Introduction by Lennert Tyberghein (VLIZ)
15:20 Marine robotics and unmanned shipping: interview and panel discussion with Wieter Boone (VLIZ, Head of Marine Robotics Centre), Nils Lowie (Jan De Nul) and Jan Pas (DG Scheepvaart)
15:50 Digital Twin of the Ocean and smart data space: presentations by a.o. Zoi Konstantinou (DG Mare) and Simon Claus (Digitaal Vlaanderen)
16:20 AI as smart monitoring assistant: pitch presentations including Q&A by Rune Lagaisse (VLIZ, Project manager), Hans Polet (ILVO, Scientific Director ILVO Marine), Steve Vanlanduit (UAntwerp - Invilab), Christof Devriendt and Jan Helsen (OWI Lab)
Presentations:
- bess2024_zoikonstantinou.pdf
- bess2024_simonclaus.pdf
- bess2024_runelagaisse.pdf
- bess2024_vanlanduitsteve.pdf
- bess2024_owi-lab.pdf
Keynote speaker
Claire Jolly, Head Ocean Economy & Space Economy, Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Claire oversees OECD research and analysis on the economics and innovation dimensions of two important frontier domains: the ocean and the space environment. Many economic activities, as well as much science and innovation, are linked to the exploration and sustainable uses of the ocean and of the space environment. Claire Jolly has over twenty-five years of experience in business and policy analysis, supporting decision-making and strategic planning in public and private organisations. She had authored over fifty publications focusing on the evolution and economic impacts of science and technology-intensive sectors. Her background is in international economics (Univ. Versailles, Cornell University) and aerospace engineering (ENSTA; ISU). She is also an alumna of executive programmes from the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN) and of the Singularity University.
Photo contest
During BESS, a small photo exhibition will be organised on the theme of “Digital Sea”. Contestants can submit their high- resolution photos by e-mail to info@vliz.be, with the subject line “BESS photo contest” with indication of the title, date, place and name of the photographer for each photo. The deadline is 10 May 2024. Contestants can submit up to 5 photos (max. 8 Mb; .jpg, .jpeg or .png format), of which the jury will select a maximum of 1. The final selection will be showcased in large format during the event. Authors grant the organisers (VLIZ and the Blue Cluster) a licence to use the submitted work. The contestant has made their submission under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) licence. This licence means that the organisers can Share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and Adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) any material received, while giving appropriate credit to the contestant as the original content creator and providing a link to the licence, and indicating in case any changes were made.
At all times, the organisers recognise the Photographer as the original content creator and author of the respective images. Any use of the received images, including any online publications, print, use at conferences, exhibitions, in videos, or on social media channels is always to be accompanied by an appropriate disclaimer that gives credit to the contestant as the original content creator. By submitting their photos, contestants confirm that they agree with the rules above.
Practical information
- Date: Thursday 23 May 2024, 14:00 until 19:00
- Venue: Thermae Palace, Koningin Astridlaan 7, 8400 Oostende
- Registration: register before 10 May 2024 using the online registration form
We look forward to your presence at the Blue Economy Science Summit as we collectively navigate the uncharted waters of “The Digital Sea”
Questions?
Contact the BESS organization:
- Flanders Marine Institute VLIZ, InnovOcean Campus, Jacobsenstraat 1, 8400 Oostende, e-mail: info@vliz.be
- De Blauwe Cluster, Incubatiecentrum BlueBridge, 8400 Oostende, e-mail: info@deblauwecluster.be
