Partnerships to power future industries

It’s National Science Week and this year’s theme is Innovation: Powering Future Industries.

One of the ways TasPorts is working to support growth in future industries is through partnership with key research and educational bodies, like the Blue Economy CRC and the Australian Maritime College.

This Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) brings together 44 industry groups, government and research partners from 10 countries with expertise in aquaculture, marine renewable energy, maritime engineering, environmental assessments and policy regulation.

In mid-March, TasPorts was announced as a third-party partner within the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (BE CRC) pre-conditions project for the development of offshore wind farms in Australia.

This project provides an opportunity for the BE CRC and industry partners, including TasPorts, to seize the opportunity provided by recent legislation to build efficiency, integrity and good governance in Australia’s growing offshore wind power industry.

Further, in mid-April, TasPorts became a participant in a Hydrogen Powering of Vessels project, in collaboration with Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (BE CRC). The main objectives of this research project are to undertake a feasibility study into the maturity of hydrogen and ammonia-powered vessel technology and to consider the near-term market for such vessels operating in Australian waters and for overseas vessel exports.

Also this year, TasPorts partnered with the Australian Maritime College to sponsor a scholarship for a PhD candidate to research Tasmania’s strategic port planning and infrastructure management based on potential roles in the renewables economy. The PhD work is to research port strategic planning for infrastructure management development and operations based on potential roles in the renewables economy.

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. It runs each year in August and features more than 1000 events around Australia.

Click here for more information on the Blue Economy CRC or the Australian Maritime College.