The Conference is organized by the European Technology Platform WATERBORNE^TP,  supported by MARE FORUM and builds upon the results of the 1^st Research and Innovation Maritime Policy Conference in November 2007 where more than 300 distinguished representatives from the maritime industry and academia attended at the presence of the then DG RTD Commissioner Mr. J. Potočnik.

The conference will take the WATERBORNE^TP Strategic Research Agenda one step further. It will set the scene for the research and innovation policies for the maritime sector for the coming years. It links the VISION of the Maritime Industry beyond 2020 with Innovation policies and with methods and practices for holistic research and innovation strategies for the full exploitation of resources and results at European and National level.

Representatives of the major European Maritime Industry Organizations at board level have expressed their interest to attend the conference.

The WATERBORNE^TP Declaration on the Grand Challenges for Seas and Oceans will be launched to help defining future research programmes (including Framework Programme 8) in the sector, to re-affirm and to further demonstrate the crucial relevance of the Maritime activities for Europe.