OPIN project encourages collaboration for ORE SMEs

The new pan-European project, the Ocean Power Innovation Network (OPIN), aims to accelerate the development of the ocean energy sector.

The basic premise of OPIN is to encourage collaboration between the ocean energy sector and other sectors, such as oil and gas, automotive, aerospace, ICT, advanced materials, sensors, and manufacturing, to identify ways to grow the ocean energy supply chain. Partners are calling on businesses with expertise that can be used in the ocean sector to join the OPIN project, explore collaboration opportunities with other organisations, and avail of the supports available.

OPIN is a three-year initiative, running from 2019 to 2021. With a budget of €2.6 million, €1.5 million funded by INTERREG North West Europe, the project is led by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), in partnership with organisations from the UK, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, and will explore ways to unlock the potential of this renewable energy resource.

Project partners:

• Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland - Ireland (lead partner)
• Scottish Enterprise - UK
• Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult - UK
• Sirris - Belgium 
• West Atlantic Marine Energy Community, École Centrale de Nantes - France
• Dutch Marine Energy Centre - Netherlands
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. - Germany

Events for 2019:

A series of events will be hosted in partner countries this year. Any business who is a member of the project can attend these events.

Further details of these events will be posted on the OPIN Project webpage and social media channels Companies can apply to OPIN for independent technology assessments to benchmark members potential for success and identify potential collaborators, and vouchers to support groups of SMEs to deliver collaborative innovation projects. Interested in becoming a member of the OPIN project or applying for support offered by the project? Visit the OPIN project webpage!