The UK’s Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has unveiled a new program to provide innovators and startups with the opportunity to develop solutions addressing critical challenges faced by the marine sector.
The ADMIRALTY Marine Innovation Program will be led by the UKHO’s Research, Design and Innovation team and strategy consultancy RE_SET.
Using ADMIRALTY data sets from seabed composition samples, bathymetric profiles of the seafloor, and tidal and navigational information, program participants will develop new solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Technologies to be developed include those enabling the identification of new areas for tidal and wind energy generation and those supporting safe navigation for larger autonomous ships.
Innovators will be tasked with developing solutions for maritime insurance, blue carbon sequestration and sea-level rise modelling.
The launch of this program follows extensive research commissioned by the UK Hydrographic Office into the Blue Economy, which is estimated to be worth £3.2 trillion ($4.1 trillion) by the year 2030.
Each selected participant will receive prizes worth £175,000 ($226,000).
Mark Casey, head of research, design and innovation at the UK Hydrographic Office said: “The launch of our Marine Innovation Program is an exciting milestone in our journey to help many marine sectors solve some of the core issues that we face.”
“We believe that our challenges will support innovation across the Blue Economy and encourage digital leaders to use marine geospatial data in new and varied ways. We would encourage anyone with the skills or a big idea in these areas to get in touch, get involved, and help unlock the power of marine geospatial data.”
