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
| Opening remarks – Jake Rigby, Chair of MarRI-UK Technical Group, Head of Innovation and Research, BMT |
| Keynote: How strategic innovation is powering UK maritime growth – DfT |
| Keynote: Shipbuilding innovation at the hart of national growth – NSO |
| Presentations |
| UK maritime key research challenges and the role of research in driving maritime innovation – TBC What is a research roadmap? Possible structures and international comparisons – TBC Why industry needs a clear research pathway, David Browne, Director Corporate and Social Affairs, Maersk Digital Classification and the Future of Maritime Assurance, Claudene Sharp-Patel, Global Technical Director, 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 |
| Panel Discussion |
Speakers
Kevin Forshaw, Director of Marine Business Development, University of Plymouth
Professor Alan J Murphy, University of Southampton
Nabile Hifi, BAE Systems
David Browne, Director Corporate and Social Affairs, Maersk
Claudene Sharp-Patel, Global Technical Director, Lloyd’s Register
Eugene Bari, CEO, Ecomar Propulsion
Tom Chant, CEO, SMI
Registration
There is limited tickets so please register here .For any questions please get in touch with us at marri-uk-dmem@strath.ac.uk.