UK’s first maritime innovation hub opens

Organisations collaborating on the ‘2050 Innovation Hub’ include Port of Tyne, PD Ports, Nissan, Connected Places Catapult, Accenture, Royal HaskoningDHV and Ubisoft. The hub will be a catalyst for sharing ideas, harnessing research and development, advancing technology and tackling shared challenges.

The Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, opened the hub. He said: “The British maritime sector is world famous for driving innovation. The Innovation Hub is a fantastic way to increase efficiency, making the our ports more attractive to businesses at home and abroad as well as ensuring the UK continues to lead the way in maritime technology for decades to come.”

Matt Beeton, chief executive officer at the Port of Tyne, said: “It’s important that we harness skills and innovation from all industrial sectors to develop our global proposition and enhance our competitiveness”.

The hub is fully aligned with the UK Government’s Maritime 2050 Strategy and it will work closely with the Department for Transport and MarRI-UK to ensure that it delivers for the benefit of the maritime sector. It is also expected to attract more young people into the maritime sector.

By Rebecca Jeffrey