The Plymouth and South Devon Freeport, Maritime UK SW and the Cornwall Marine Network hosted visitors from the Department for Transport earlier today. The visit was an opportunity to showcase the marine and maritime innovation, collaboration and cluster opportunities that Plymouth and the wider South West is renowned and well-respected for.
The visit included an update from CEO Richard May on the Freeport and how the South Yard tax site is the centrepiece of the Freeport’s innovation hotbed. Richard highlighted the existing sector strengths of marine, defence and advanced manufacturing, and the emerging space sector as prime targets for investment, innovation and infrastructure and the importance of forming strong and strategic alliances with local, national and international partners and businesses.
In alignment with the Ocean Futures programme, and the state-of-the-art assets and facilities available within the region including the University of Plymouth’s Cyber Ship Lab, Centre for Decarbonisation and Offshore Renewables and Ship Bridge Simulator, the visit reinforced the key messaging around the region’s collective voice of innovation, skills and achievable, yet ambitious plans for the future.