Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INNO2MARE (Strengthening the capacity for excellence of Slovenian and Croatian innovation ecosystems to support the digital and green transitions of maritime regions)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2024-03-31
Maritime industries, including shipbuilding and recreational craft building, are crucial to Europe’s economy and social development, closely linked to transport, security, energy, research, and the environment. The EU shipbuilding and repair sector remains a global leader but faces intense international competition, with key challenges including regulatory and environmental issues that EU and national policies address, particularly regarding climate change.
The INNO2MARE project addresses two main challenges related to the Slovenian and Croatian ecosystems: stimulating innovation to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of maritime industries and their contribution to Europe’s green and digital transitions, developing a strategic and coordinated governance approach to effectively mobilize resources within the Western Slovenian and Adriatic Croatian maritime innovation ecosystems.
INNO2MARE plans to develop a joint R&I strategy to strengthen the excellence of these maritime innovation ecosystems. Belgian partners, including the University of Antwerp, Antwerp Maritime Academy, and the Port of Antwerp, play a crucial role in supporting both ecosystems (maritime R&I vision and trends, helping in strategies development). The pilot projects, their R&I results (new cutting-edge technologies) and developed infrastructure will serve as demonstrators. The results of the pilot projects, along with pre-planning for pilots and demonstrators and the joint action and investment plan, will build coordinated, resilient, attractive, and sustainable maritime innovation ecosystems, accelerating the uptake of new technologies by the industry in Western Slovenia and Adriatic Croatia.
These efforts will enhance collaboration within and between place-based ecosystems through innovative approaches to knowledge transfer, community engagement, and competence building.
The INNO2MARE project addresses two main challenges related to the Slovenian and Croatian ecosystems: stimulating innovation to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of maritime industries and their contribution to Europe’s green and digital transitions, developing a strategic and coordinated governance approach to effectively mobilize resources within the Western Slovenian and Adriatic Croatian maritime innovation ecosystems.
INNO2MARE plans to develop a joint R&I strategy to strengthen the excellence of these maritime innovation ecosystems. Belgian partners, including the University of Antwerp, Antwerp Maritime Academy, and the Port of Antwerp, play a crucial role in supporting both ecosystems (maritime R&I vision and trends, helping in strategies development). The pilot projects, their R&I results (new cutting-edge technologies) and developed infrastructure will serve as demonstrators. The results of the pilot projects, along with pre-planning for pilots and demonstrators and the joint action and investment plan, will build coordinated, resilient, attractive, and sustainable maritime innovation ecosystems, accelerating the uptake of new technologies by the industry in Western Slovenia and Adriatic Croatia.
These efforts will enhance collaboration within and between place-based ecosystems through innovative approaches to knowledge transfer, community engagement, and competence building.
The initial stage of the INNO2MARE project is focused on understanding key actors, processes, activities, and relationships within and between the involved innovation ecosystems. This included identifying R&I needs and gaps, developing the Joint R&I Strategy, mapping stakeholders, analysing ecosystem dynamics, performing gap analysis, and creating a strategic framework and vision. Around 400 stakeholders were mapped in Western Slovenia and Adriatic Croatia where 80 companies were identified as highly innovative in both ecosystems. These efforts laid the foundation for enhancing collaboration and advancing maritime innovation ecosystems in Western Slovenia and Adriatic Croatia.
To foster the ecosystems innovation, the Innovation Council (IC) was established, consisting of 11 members and innovators from the Slovenian, Croatian, and Belgian ecosystems. The structure of the members was carefully chosen in order to have internal and external experts and innovators from all three ecosystems and to cover different innovation maritime areas. The IC's main purpose is to support and promote the project as well as join the brainstorming sessions and provide feedback on project vision.
Based on the R&I gaps analysis, we confirm that all three R&I pilot projects are highly relevant to the maritime industry covering the important topics: (1) Pilot Project 1 focusing on improved fire evacuation VR model of a ship engine room, (2) Pilot Project 2 covering the digital twin concept with AI for sustainable and efficient energy management and (3) Pilot Project 3 focusing on autonomous shipping technology supported by AI. The initial Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 2-3 for each pilot project has now advanced to level 3-4, with progress towards developing functional models for demonstration and testing. Each pilot project has already shown potential for commercialization or implementation into real-world application (based on discussions with partners, pilot project leaders):
• Pilot Project 1: Potential for education, training of officers and ship crew.
• Pilot Project 2: Potential for industry application, digitalization and efficient energy management in SMEs.
• Pilot Project 3: Advances in algorithms and AI for estimating sea state parameters, essential for autonomous shipping.
4 SCI articles, 4 conference papers were published.
To support R&I activities, partners identified potential synergies with 36 projects/initiatives, with 6 synergies already established.
Several events involving wider community were organized (academia, industry, citizens, and government):
- Citizen Skills development, Digital and green events, Citizens Connect with 148 participants.
- Knowledge transfer and staff exchange for mutual learning with 28 participants (Training of ecosystems actors on demand-driven knowledge transfer, Advisory support on knowledge and technology transfer, Short-term secondments and Short-term missions).
- Training session of ecosystems actors on R&I management, entrepreneurships, business growth and leadership skills for 162 participants,
- Brainstorming sessions on talents attraction and retaining involving Innovation Council members for 15 participants.
Overall, more than 350 participants were involved in the mentioned events.
The concept of the Career Connector platform was developed, the functionality defined. The platform is not functional so far and will be in the second half of 2024.
To foster the ecosystems innovation, the Innovation Council (IC) was established, consisting of 11 members and innovators from the Slovenian, Croatian, and Belgian ecosystems. The structure of the members was carefully chosen in order to have internal and external experts and innovators from all three ecosystems and to cover different innovation maritime areas. The IC's main purpose is to support and promote the project as well as join the brainstorming sessions and provide feedback on project vision.
Based on the R&I gaps analysis, we confirm that all three R&I pilot projects are highly relevant to the maritime industry covering the important topics: (1) Pilot Project 1 focusing on improved fire evacuation VR model of a ship engine room, (2) Pilot Project 2 covering the digital twin concept with AI for sustainable and efficient energy management and (3) Pilot Project 3 focusing on autonomous shipping technology supported by AI. The initial Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 2-3 for each pilot project has now advanced to level 3-4, with progress towards developing functional models for demonstration and testing. Each pilot project has already shown potential for commercialization or implementation into real-world application (based on discussions with partners, pilot project leaders):
• Pilot Project 1: Potential for education, training of officers and ship crew.
• Pilot Project 2: Potential for industry application, digitalization and efficient energy management in SMEs.
• Pilot Project 3: Advances in algorithms and AI for estimating sea state parameters, essential for autonomous shipping.
4 SCI articles, 4 conference papers were published.
To support R&I activities, partners identified potential synergies with 36 projects/initiatives, with 6 synergies already established.
Several events involving wider community were organized (academia, industry, citizens, and government):
- Citizen Skills development, Digital and green events, Citizens Connect with 148 participants.
- Knowledge transfer and staff exchange for mutual learning with 28 participants (Training of ecosystems actors on demand-driven knowledge transfer, Advisory support on knowledge and technology transfer, Short-term secondments and Short-term missions).
- Training session of ecosystems actors on R&I management, entrepreneurships, business growth and leadership skills for 162 participants,
- Brainstorming sessions on talents attraction and retaining involving Innovation Council members for 15 participants.
Overall, more than 350 participants were involved in the mentioned events.
The concept of the Career Connector platform was developed, the functionality defined. The platform is not functional so far and will be in the second half of 2024.
INNO2MARE has achieved two key exploitable results with significant uptake potential within this reporting period.
1. Long-term Joint R&I Strategy:
The consortium conducted an in-depth mapping of key actors, processes, activities, and relationships within and between the Slovenian and Croatian ecosystem. This analysis identified the main R&I needs, opportunities, as well as the enablers and inhibitors of innovative performance. Based on these insights, the consortium formulated a draft joint R&I strategy, which will be finalized in June 2024.
2. Pilot Projects: new concepts and initial models were developed, new AI-based algorithms were developed, the initial models were tested and evaluated to define improvements.
These pilot projects highlight the potential for commercialization and practical application in real-world environments, thereby supporting the overarching goals of the INNO2MARE project.
1. Long-term Joint R&I Strategy:
The consortium conducted an in-depth mapping of key actors, processes, activities, and relationships within and between the Slovenian and Croatian ecosystem. This analysis identified the main R&I needs, opportunities, as well as the enablers and inhibitors of innovative performance. Based on these insights, the consortium formulated a draft joint R&I strategy, which will be finalized in June 2024.
2. Pilot Projects: new concepts and initial models were developed, new AI-based algorithms were developed, the initial models were tested and evaluated to define improvements.
These pilot projects highlight the potential for commercialization and practical application in real-world environments, thereby supporting the overarching goals of the INNO2MARE project.