The Waterborne Technology Platform (TP) warmly welcomes the membership by European Boating Industry, further strengthening the representation of blue economy actors and reinforcing Europe’s waterborne leadership.
Waterborne TP is a European Technology Platform established to ensure a continuous dialogue between the European waterborne sector and the EU Institutions and Member States. It brings together all stakeholders from across the value chain, including shipowners, shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers, ports, energy, infrastructure and service providers, classification societies, universities, and research institutes. This ensures that research development and innovation priorities (RD&I) reflect both industrial needs and policy objectives. The Waterborne TP coordinates the private side of the Zero-Emission Waterborne Transport Partnership and covers activities in the area of vessel technologies and operations, port ecosystems, as well as the blue economy.
“The boating and nautical tourism industry is a European hidden champion, strong in manufacturing and exports ‘Made in Europe’ with a very high proportion of SMEs. As part of our sector’s innovation and decarbonisation pathway, targeted EU Research and Innovation funding will be a crucial element and deliver on the commitment to our sector in the EU’s Industrial Maritime Strategy and Sustainable Transport Investment Plan. Joining the Waterborne Technology Platform is a strategic step for EBI and we are proud to be accepted as member and look forward to cooperating across the sector to advance innovation”, Philip Easthill, Secretary-General of European Boating Industry, said.
Jaap Gebraad, Secretary General of the Waterborne TP, added: “The recreational boating and nautical tourism industry encompasses a wide variety of actors, including shipyards, equipment manufacturers and marinas and harbours. The contributions of the European Boating Industry to the development of our nine different roadmaps will be critical to ensure that the strategy includes the wider ecosystem perspective, and that solutions developed are tailored accordingly and deployable. The technology roadmaps will be the key tool to support the objectives of the Industrial Maritime and Port Strategies, as the sector provides concrete input on the steps to be achieved in the transition towards a competitive, resilient and sustainable future.”
