Hack the Ocean – Multi-use at sea
5-6 October 2023 – Reykjavík, Iceland.
How to design a viable and sustainable multi-use concept at sea that facilitates co-existence in the Nordic Ocean space?
A truly sustainable blue economy is one that optimises the use of resources and fosters collaboration.
Multi-use at sea is one way that we can optimise the use of ocean space by placing multiple, often competing, marine industries in the same location, sometimes referred to as co-location. Such co-location presents an opportunity for symbiosis and collaboration which could have both environmental and economic benefits.
A number of projects have pioneered this idea, such as the UNITED PROJECT which has, for example, piloted combining offshore wind energy installations, with shellfish and seaweed culture.
Yet we still lack clear business models for multi-use at sea. What would a profitable and sustainable co-location look like in reality? What could a self-sufficient multi-use platform at sea look like? What are the low-hanging fruits and win-win situations for this new blue sector?
This project is commissioned by and funded by Nordic Innovation as part of the Sustainable Ocean Economy program.
Hack the Ocean – Hackathon to ideate solutions
We need big blue ideas
To address some of these questions the Iceland Ocean Cluster will run a hackathon funded by Nordic Innovation and focused on multi-use at sea. To do this, we have teamed up with Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic who are experts in the field, located in Norway where an established research and innovation sector devoted to multi-use at sea, with an industry that has already been engaged in the topic.
The project will be further supported by The Danish Ocean Cluster, Denmark, Kalundborg Symbiosis, Denmark and Eimur, Iceland who all bring expertise in collaboration, industrial symbiosis and multi-stakeholder engagement.
What is a hackathon?
Hackathons are creative problem solving events that last for a short period of time and allow participants to do a rapid deep-dive into a specific subject.
Such deep dives get very dynamic, bring a new community together, help them learn a lot quickly on a new important field and allow new cross-sector for unique solutions to emerge in just a short period of time.
2023 Hack the Ocean Activities
This Nordic Innovation funded hackathon is linked to some key activities that will help make sure this multi-use at sea hackathon is built with a wide array of cross-sectoral stakeholders in mind and to ensure it actually addresses the challenges in this field!
Activity 1: Co-location Coffee - August 10th
Register for this online co-creation co-location coffee event to learn about the multi-use at sea concept and to be involved in identifying key challenges that should be addressed during our October hackathon as part of Hack the Ocean 2023.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/co-location-coffee-an-interactive-event-about-multi-use-at-sea-tickets-662308551707?aff=oddtdtcreator
Activity 2: Webinar on multi-use at sea - August 30th
A pre-recorded webinar will be released that provides a introduction to the exciting topic of multi-use at sea. We will hear from experts in the offshore sector as well as experts in co-located activity.
The hackathon and call to action will also be released on this day!
Webinar - Multi-use at sea
Activity 3: Multi-use at sea hackathon - Iceland - October 5-6th
Come and join us in Iceland in a competitive hackathon that will help solve some of the key Nordic challenges in the field of multi-use at sea.
The agenda for this hackathon will be released in September 2023
Resources - Learn more about multi-use at sea
Co-Location Coffee: An Interactive Event about Multi-use at Sea
On August 10th, 2023, the Iceland Ocean Cluster and the Centre for the Ocean and the Arctic hosted a Co-Location Coffee event, kicking off the “Hack the Ocean – a Multi-Use Hackathon” project. This initiative tackles Nordic multi-use at sea challenges.
Experts shared insights on multi-use at sea during the event, engaging key offshore sector players. Together, they identified critical issues to be addressed at the Multi-use at Sea Hackathon on October 5th-6th in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Key questions discussed:
- What are the biggest challenges to combining multiple activities in the Nordic ocean space?
- What tools or support actions would facilitate the growth of Multi-Use at Sea in the Nordics?
- What steps could be taken to ensure this new sector develops in an environmentally sustainable way?