Ireland to harvest its underwater potential, says EU Innovation commissioner

M?°ire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, has spoken of potential development in her native Ireland for ICT solutions that make use of the country‚Äôs newly-discovered 220 million acres of undersea land mass.

Thanks to a new ‘Real Map of Europe’, which takes into account the total size of a country, including submerged continental shelf area, Ireland has been revealed as the actual third-largest country in the European Union. Irish research groups are now suggesting possible scientific uses for the shelf that will cement Ireland as a major player in the development of emerging global markets.

An initiative, the SMARTOCEAN Innovation Cluster Strategy, has been compiled by a large group of business leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists and scientists in order to develop strategies that make the most of Ireland ICT sector and natural marine resources – two of its’ biggest assets. The delegates met at a workshop in Oranmore, Galway, entitled ‘Harnessing Ireland’s Potential as a European and Global Centre for Ocean Technology’, featuring a keynote address by Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn.

“The Continental Shelf around this little island is one of Europe’s largest seabeds,” said the Commissioner. “[A]lthough much remains undiscovered, this underwater land mass presents vast opportunities for the Irish economy and places Ireland in pole position to be at the cutting edge of marine innovation.”

The SMARTOCEAN group highlight the existing research that is underway in Ireland’s waterways and marine areas, which are crucial to allowing companies to test new concepts, equipments, technologies and solutions in real-life situations. One such strategy, the Nowcasting project, began as an EU research project and is now one of the world’s leading field, weather and ocean forecasting projects, demonstrating Ireland’s global leadership in ICT.

“As an island on the western edge of Europe, Ireland is strategically positioned as a gateway to the Atlantic,” explains Dr Peter Hefferman. “This unique positioning, gives us a specific advantage as a location for a European and global centre for ocean innovation. We have many of the ingredients in place already, the challenge is to co-ordinate and harness our strengths to realise sustainable economic growth”.

For more information on SMARTOCEAN, visit the Marine Institute’s website.

Published: Wednesday, 24th March 2010 by Tom Freeman

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