CIE Hosting 2nd Annual Ocean Innovation Conference

The UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will host its Ocean Innovation Conference on Sept. 17 at the Burney Center on campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The conference will provide a platform to discuss the Blue Economy, explore how southeast North Carolina is embracing economic opportunities relating to the ocean and reflect on current ocean trends and challenges and ways to use the ocean’s resources to grow economics and improve livelihoods.  

“By bringing together leaders in the industry and the region, the CIE hopes to inspire a more collaborative process to develop new ideas and innovation in the Blue Economy and to create a vibrant Blue Economy Hub in southeast North Carolina,” said CIE Director Heather McWhorter. 

Attendees will hear from various speakers, including Mark Huang, founder and venture partner of SeaAhead,  and Susan Casey, New York Times best-selling author and journalist. Panel discussions will include Building a North Carolina Blue Hub, Policy and Infrastructure, Startup Innovations in Sustainability, and Funding Ocean Innovations. 

Events throughout the day will touch on the region’s efforts to build the blue ecosystem, new ocean-related innovation and technology, investment opportunities and efforts underway to sustain valuable ocean resources. The Innovation Fair will be a networking opportunity to connect with Wilmington’s innovative businesses and programs. 

The conference is endorsed as a Decade Activity by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This event is a UNCW Gold Talon Sustainable Conference. 

Sponsors include NC EcoTech, NOAA SeaGrant, the City of Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College Small Business Center, TotalEnergies, UNCW Research and Innovation, Acme Smoked Fish, Array Community Development Corporation, It’s A Go Pursuits, NC Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC), UNCW Center for Marine Science, NC Sea Grant and the Water Resources Research Institute, the International Trade and Exchange Research Community and the John William Pope Foundation. This year the event is a recipient of the NC IDEA Engage Grant and an NC Biotechnology Center Event and Meeting Grant. 

For registration and more information, please visit CIE’s website.