Email News November 2012
Welcome to the November 2012 edition of Marine South East's email newsletter
If you would like to submit an article for consideration please email the text and a suitable image or logo to sarah@marinesoutheast.co.uk
Posted 2012-10-26 15:51:18
£750,000 competition launched for innovative university-industry projects
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) launched its annual Fast Forward competition last month, to encourage universities and public sector research establishments to collaborate with businesses and local communities on innovative projects that benefit UK society and can help grow the economy.
Now in its third year, Fast Forward has so far provided £1.25 million in prizes to 23 winning projects in diverse areas, ranging from the creative industries to medical research and social enterprises.
The total prize fund available for this year's competition is £750,000, which will be awarded to around a dozen projects in individual awards of between £10,000 and £100,000.
The IPO's Chief Executive, Sean Dennehey said: "UK universities lead the world as seats of learning, but they are also hubs of innovation, creating and harnessing intellectual property to fuel market competitiveness and economic growth.
"Fast Forward recognises and rewards projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to university-industry collaborations, providing funding that can help create new companies and services which benefit the UK economy and society."
The closing date for the competition is Friday 14 December 2012.
Further information relating to the Fast Forward Competition can be found at: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/fastforward.htm
Posted 2012-10-26 16:16:14
Vessel Efficiency; £8M competition for funding
It is expected that the Technology Strategy Board will shortly announce a funding competition into vessel efficiency. The competition will be aimed at accelerating marine innovation and technologies.
Details of the competition are still to be confirmed, but it is expected that it will cover most aspects of efficiency in ships, boats, submarines, their equipment and systems, and support vessels for offshore renewable energy.
The competition will build on the industry roadmap which the Transport KTN supported the development of at the end of 2011.
The road map identified several top priority themes, some of which are already being addressed through other investment routes and national activities, enabling this competition to focus on themes covering carbon reduction, green propulsion for ships and boats, and Marine ICT.
These are themes that can add value to future marine industries and would benefit from collaboration in research and development at national level. This competition is expected to have a broad scope to encourage projects that can address them.
Innovation and technology themes expected in the Marine Vessel Efficiency Competition include
* Light weight materials and structures
* Smart materials and coatings
* Positioning and communications
* Autonomous sensing and advanced navigation
* Smart green propulsion, alternative low carbon fuels and emission reduction systems
* Vessel design including hydrodynamics, retro-fitting and modifications to existing assets
* Engineering and manufacturing processes
This competition is a welcome opportunity for marine companies throughout the UK, from leisure marine through to large shipping. The whole industry (from ship and boatbuilders to equipment and systems suppliers, including small businesses) should consider how it could help their R&D plans for next year. The dialogue with potential project partners should start as soon as possible, you are strongly encouraged to attend the awareness events that the KTN is running in November. Preparation ahead of the expected Call open period (mid January to end February) will ensure that industry maximises this opportunity.
The Transport KTN will be working closely with the marine and maritime industry to disseminate information about this, and assist the formation of partnerships and collaborations.
For more information please follow the link:
https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/vessel-efficiency
Three free events will be held at the end of Nov/beginning Dec - one each in Merseyside (22nd Nov), London (27th Nov) and Glasgow (5th Dec) - which will be open to industry participants interested in finding out more about the scope of the competition, and the process of finding and working with partners and applying for funds, as well as networking with potential partners.
Once the competition is open (ie sometime in January 2013), the Technology Strategy Board will hold an information day. The KTN events will ensure you are well-placed to act as soon as the competition opens.
Posted 2012-10-30 12:32:39
BMF launches new series of training courses for marine businesses
The BMF Training Department has recently launched a string of new courses, covering various subject areas. Five new trainers have been introduced across the subjects, to widen and improve what is already an excellent course portfolio. Many of the workshops are short, sharp half day sessions.
Details of two forthcoming workshops in the Southampton area are as follows:
8th November 2012: Planning or improving your website (9:00 - 12:30)
Marketing is an essential element of any successful business or organisation and, in today's modern sales environment, the Internet is central to most marketing ambitions. Consequently, having an efficient and magnetic website is crucial. This half day workshop will walk you through the key aspects of planning for an effective and compelling website. Those who already have an online presence will benefit from the workshop health-check steps, which show how to audit and adjust their current site.
8th November 2012 Successful email marketing (13:00 - 16:30)
E-mail Marketing is a potent relationship builder and sales support tool. It is one of the most cost-efficient and easily implemented methods available for reaching your customers - and your future customers. Above all, it offers the ability to reach any number of direct targets from one, to a million and one - anywhere in the world - all from a single computer. The upside is that E-mail Marketing is low on cost but high in potential. The downside is that doing it badly could do more harm than good. This workshop will include: Reviewing what E-mail marketing means; Planning what you want to say and how best to say it: Considering online reading preferences and limitations; Understanding and avoiding potential problems; Identifying where you might need help and where to get it.
Price for any two half day workshops (when booked at the same time BMF Members £160.00 + VAT, Non-Members £250.00 + VAT
Price for individual workshops BMF Members £99.00 + VAT, Non-Members - £185.00 + VAT
For further information on all the courses that BMF run, please go to the website http://www.britishmarine.co.uk
To book on any of these workshops, please contact Liv Whetmore on (01784) 223631 or e-mail lwhetmore@britishmarine.co.uk.
Posted 2012-10-26 15:50:08
Meet new suppliers at the BMF/UKTI Meet the Buyer event, January 2013
The BMF/UKTI Meet the Buyer event returns for its 13th consecutive year from 15- 16 January 2013 at the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show. Organised by the BMF International Team, it is an extremely efficient business development tool. The suppliers involved in the 2012 event expected to win business of over £1million.
This event is a real opportunity to establish new relationships and test your products and services with a global audience of buyers in London. The savings in travel costs alone make this event worthwhile, let alone the 'foot in the door' with some of the World's most prestigious boat yards.
The event is taking place 15th - 16th January 2013 at the Tullett Prebon London Boat Show, ExCeL London.
The cost for attending the event is £125 plus VAT for BMF members and £165 plus VAT for non members. For this price suppliers can meet with as many Buyers as they wish as long as the schedule allows. The twenty minute meetings are allocated on a first come, first served basis. The event is only open to companies offering UK owned products and services.
Buyers attending to date include: Horizon Yachts, Amels, CNB Lagoon, Mulder Shipyard, Linssen Yachts, Oyster Marine, Rodman Yachts, Vidal Diffusion, Tayana Yachts, Tashing Yachts
Sign up by filling out the Supplier Profile Form on the website http://www.bmfmeetthebuyer.co.uk/
For more information please contact Claire Westbrook cwestbrook@britishmarine.co.uk or 01784 223638
Posted 2012-10-26 16:04:11
Fast Forward; Marine Cluster event, 6th November 2012, Southampton
The University of Southampton, as joint winners of Intellectual Property Office 'Fast Forward 2012' funding are inviting marine business to a free, 'Fast Forward - Marine Cluster' event taking place on Tuesday 6th November 2012, 1600-1930 at the University of Southampton Science Park, Chilworth.
This event will be of interest to innovative marine businesses with the emphasis on managing their Intellectual Property and knowledge sharing and by so doing engaging more effectively and profitably in collaborative R&D projects with other companies, research organisations and academia.The event will look at the topics of Innovation funding, Intellectual property, Marine supply chains, Resource efficiency and how the Solent Marine and Maritime Institute supports and promotes innovation in the marine sector.
Adrian Waddams from the Transport KTN will brief the attendees on the Technology Strategy Board's Vessel Efficiency funding competition that is expected to open in Jan 2013. The Technology Strategy Board is the UK's national innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation.
David Bream from UofS will describe how the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Fast Forward funding will create a network of SME forums and meetings to consider how IP can be the bedrock of growing a business. The IPO are an Executive Agency of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) that promote innovation by providing a clear, accessible and widely understood IP system, which enables the economy and society to benefit from knowledge and ideas.
David Elson from the British Marine Federation (BMF) will present an overview of the Benefits and Challenges for SMEs and larger marine firms in raising the performance of marine supply chains. The BMF represents a wide range of businesses in the leisure, superyacht and small commercial marine industry.
Jonathan Williams from Marine South East (MSE) will explain why increasing Europe's innovation capacity in maritime resource efficiency is the aim of a new European funded project that MSE has been working on from October 2012. Marine South East (MSE) assists marine companies to access innovation support such as Smart R&D grants and other business improvement services to help them win business in growing marine markets.
Kevin Forshaw from the SMMI will describe how it is supporting and promoting innovation in the marine sector through the use of the facilities, staff and students at the UofS. The SMMI is a unique internationally recognised centre of excellence, bringing together the research, innovation and education communities from universities, research institutes, industry and governments.
Light refreshments will be provided. Details of the event location can be found here:
http://www.science-park.co.uk/Contact/OurLocation/tabid/65/Default.aspx
For more information and to reserve your FREE place
http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/4627912210
