Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 3rd Annual Dual Use Marine Technologies Workshop took place online through Zoom Video Webinar. Day 1 of the Workshop took place on the 9th of December 2020. While Day 2 took place on the 10th of December.
The workshop was a great opportunity to learn about the ongoing marine & maritime projects in Cyprus and Europe. Project Coordinators and leaders of marine organizations shared their objectives and the deliverables of the respective projects. Moreover, the various presentations captured the audience’s imagination and provided stakeholders in the marine community and the wider public with a summary of what’s currently happening in Cyprus.
In addition to featuring ongoing marine research in Cyprus, the workshop participants learned about successful collaborations in the marine and maritime sectors in Ireland. The Dual Use Workshop also provided a forum to discuss future plans and facilitate cooperation in Cyprus. Based on the discussions throughout each session, the workshop further inspired marine stakeholder synergies.
Day 1: Sessions 1 & 2
Titled “A European Strategy for Blue Growth”, Session 1 includes presentations by Zacharias Siokouros, Chief Executive Officer of the Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute (CMMI) and Dr. Paul Brewster, Co-Founder & Director of Pure Marine and Partner of the Marine Institute of Ireland.
In Session 2 titled “Balancing Competition with Successful Cooperation”, Dr. Daniel Hayes of Cyprus Subsea moderates an open discussion with Dr. Brewster about overcoming project roadblocks and harmonizing consortium membership among various sectors and types of partners.
Day 1: Sessions 3 & 4
Session 3 includes marine research project presentations by Dr. Michalis Michaelides, the Project Coordinator of Sea Traffic Eastern Mediterranean (STEAM), Dr. Daniel Hayes, the Managing Director of Cyprus Subsea, & Dr. Ioannis Kyriakides, the Project Coordinator of Maritime Cognitive Decision Support System (MARI-Sense).
Additionally, Dr. Kyriakides is the Project Coordinator of Open Sea Aquaculture in the Eastern Mediterranean (OS Aqua). For Session 4, he moderates a stakeholder deliberation regarding spatial planning for open sea aquaculture. Stephanos Charalambous, a GIS Specialist with Geomatic Technologies, presents available coastal areas around Cyprus for aquaculture.
Day 2: Session 5 & 6
Session 5 includes marine research project presentations by Ehsan Abdi, Head Engineer of Cyprus Subsea, and Dr. Louis Hadjioannou, Director of Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre and Associate Researcher of the Cyprus Marine & Maritime Institute (CMMI). Mr. Abdi explains an innovative product developed by Cyprus Subsea through the Smart Standardized Marine Sensor Cable Interface (SMART Cable) Project. Dr. Hadjioannou gives a presentation titled “Disturbances in the marine environment of Cyprus – in search of solutions”.
Session 6 involves an open discussion about project collaborations and long-term sustainability of observing systems in Cyprus. Dr. Daniel Hayes moderates this discussion about environmental data buoys with various marine stakeholders.
Thank you again to all the presenters, moderators and co-organizers who’ve have contributed to this successful workshop!
