SUBSEA UK is urging the industry to come together for next year’s Subsea Expo to explore the “oceans of opportunity” in the blue economy.
Subsea Expo, Europe’s largest exhibition and conference focused on the underwater industry, is set to be one of the first post-pandemic, large-scale physical events back on the international calendar.
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The three-day flagship exhibition and conference will go ahead at Aberdeen’s P&J Live from 22 February 2022.
Under the theme ‘Oceans of Opportunity – Harnessing the Opportunities in the Blue Economy’, the event will centre around high-level discussions on how the UK’s underwater engineering industry can capitalise on the global blue economy, estimated to be worth $3 trillion by 2030.
Organisers, Subsea UK, are planning a packed three days of debate on key industry topics including the push towards net zero, the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage, hydrogen technologies, and smart innovation. The event will also examine how the underwater industry can take advantage of its world-leading expertise in skills and technology to successfully compete for marketshare in other emerging sectors of the blue economy.
A call for papers has been issued but there is still time to put forward abstracts to speak at the event with the deadline now the 29th of October 2021.
Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, said: “Against the backdrop of a global pandemic and the acceleration of the race to net-zero, our future looks very different now than it did at the start of last year. If the recent disruption has taught us anything, it’s that we must continue to evolve and adapt to meet the challenges and capitalise on the opportunities.
“Subsea Expo provides an excellent platform for finding out more about mature and emerging markets and for making connections that can lead to cross-sector collaborations which will be key to developing solutions to the challenge in both the blue economy and the energy transition.
“The scale of opportunity presented by the blue economy and the green recovery is unprecedented and with the UK underwater industry’s market-leading position, we are well-placed to capture a large slice of the prize.”
Making sure that the UK underwater industry is in a position to capitalise on this opportunity is the main driving force behind the creation of the Global Underwater Hub (GUH). Subsea UK is transitioning into a new, strategically-focused organisation which aims to transform the industry, accelerate the transition to net-zero and create new jobs and exports.
Led and governed by industry, with £13million from the UK and Scottish Governments, the GUH will deliver significant export growth and attract new inward investment, promote cross-sector collaboration and innovation to develop solutions to underwater challenges, develop skills and capabilities to drive competitive advantage and support the growth of new and existing UK underwater businesses.
The GUH will provide access to the largest, cross-sector underwater community in the world and offer commercially driven market intelligence, expertise, contacts and specialist support to accelerate business growth and build value in the UK’s underwater industry.
With a physical presence in regions with the largest clusters of underwater activity, the GUH will work with companies, organisations, industry bodies, technology and innovation centres and academia across the length and breadth of the UK.
Mr Gordon added: “The GUH will be fully operational when Subsea Expo comes around and this will provide companies with market intelligence and insight to develop clear routes, helping them to make the right decisions about growing their business. As a new organisation with greater resources, we’ll be able to support more underwater businesses in getting after the opportunities in the blue economy.”