16 September, 14:00 – 16:00, Abbey Room, Queen Elizabeth II Centre, London, SW1P 3EE
Join MarRI-UK and SMI at London International Shipping Week 2025.
The UK needs a national maritime research roadmap to coordinate efforts across academia, industry, and government in addressing critical challenges. More importantly, it will help to harness the full economic potential of the maritime sector, which underpins £116 billion in economic activity and supports over a million jobs. As the industry faces major transitions—such as decarbonisation, digitalisation, and increased automation—a coordinated research strategy is essential to drive innovation and maintain global competitiveness at this critical time. The roadmap will guide investment, align stakeholders, and ensure research efforts support both national priorities and international obligations. By doing so, it will secure the long-term sustainability and growth of a sector vital to the UK’s economy and trade.
This exciting event will provide a platform for stakeholders across the maritime sector to gain valuable insights into the future of research and innovation in the UK.
Aimed outputs
- High-level structure of the roadmap
- Identify key stakeholders to form a cross-sectoral working group
- Agree on a clear development timeline with defined phases
Programme
Proposed programme, subject to change.
| 13:30 Registration, Tea/Coffee |
| 14:00 Opening remarks – Jake Rigby, Chair of MarRI-UK Technical Group, Head of Innovation and Research, BMT |
| 14:10 Keynote: Shipbuilding innovation at the heart of national growth – Rod Paterson, CEO of National Shipbuilding Office |
| 14:25 Presentations |
| UK maritime key research challenges and the role of research in driving maritime innovation, Professor Alan J Murphy, University of Southampton and MarRI-UK Academic Chair Why industry needs a clear research pathway, David Browne, Director Corporate and Social Affairs, Maersk Digital Classification and the Future of Maritime Assurance, Duncan Duffy, Global Head of Digitalisation, Lloyd’s Register How a research roadmap can enable capability growth and long-term competitive advantage in UK shipbuilding, Nabile Hifi, BAE Systems From prototype to product, why clear research pathway matter to SMEs, Eugene Bari, CEO, Ecomar Propulsion The role of stakeholders in delivering a national maritime research roadmap, Tom Chant, CEO, SMI |
| 15:25 Panel Discussion |
| 15:45 Final remark and closing, Jake Rigby, Chair of MarRI-UK Technical Group |
| 16:00 Networking Tea/Coffee (Rutherford Room) |
Speakers
Professor Alan J Murphy, University of Southampton
Sarah Fear, Relationship Manager, University of Plymouth
Nabile Hifi, BAE Systems
David Browne, Director Corporate and Social Affairs, Maersk
Duncan Duffy is a Chartered Electronics and Electrical Engineer with 35 years’ experience of the safe and successful integration of maritime systems.
In 2019, Duncan was appointed as LR’s Global Head of Technology for Electrotechnical Systems in LR’s Marine & Offshore business. He and his team now work to support clients and stakeholders as the marine industry faces new safety, environmental and efficiency challenges related to electrification of ships and the digital transformation of the ocean economy.
Eugene Bari, CEO, Ecomar Propulsion
Tom Chant, CEO, SMI
Photos of the day
