Opentop in Halifax: Visits, Conferences, Meetings… Global Open Innovation

Opentop in Halifax: Visits, Conferences, Meetings… Global Open Innovation

Opentop recently traveled to Halifax (Canada) to advance its open innovation efforts, conduct international scouting, and strengthen connections within the Port Innovators Network (PIN). A few intense days of connecting, sharing, and reflecting.

We're grateful to the team at The Pier for their hospitality and for opening the doors of their entire ecosystem to us. Halifax hosted a gathering that brought together several PIN members, including The Pier (Port of Halifax, acting as host), Port Esbjerg, the Port of San Diego, and, of course, Opentop.

We toured The Pier's facilities, gaining a comprehensive view of how innovation projects are improving operations at the Port of Halifax.

We took part in the Home-2-Overseas Conference, a leading event in Canada for the ocean technology sector. Yolanda Gregori, representing Opentop, joined the panel "Offshore Wind Technology: Challenges and Opportunities," alongside Gordon McIntosh (Chairman, Aberdeen International Associates), Jesper Jørgensen (Project Manager, Port of Esbjerg), Kim Doane (Executive Director, Energy Resource Development, Nova Scotia Department of Energy), and Chris Bourque (Executive Director, Ocean Technology Council of Nova Scotia). The discussion centered on a key idea: implementing new technologies carries risk, and mitigating it, especially when CAPEX is high, requires fast testing. She shared concrete examples driven by Valenciaport that illustrate this approach, focusing in particular on the Valenciaport Sandbox and experiences such as the Renmarinas Demos, including the upcoming installation of two floating solar panels by BlueNewables.

We attended the COVE Demoday, a day of live demonstrations of marine and dual-use technologies, bringing together leaders from industry, investment, defense, and public administration. Tested, deployable technologies aimed at solving real-world challenges.

The various meetings focused on exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and exploring common challenges across port ecosystems, with particular attention to how innovation can help solve them.