Klaipėda Science and Technology Park is joining Aarhus Innovation Camp to co-create solutions for implementing regional smart specialisation strategies and support the economic transformation in Baltic Sea Region.
A first in the series, Aarhus Innovation Camp brings together close to 70 participants: regional actors, citizens, universities, politicians, businesses and other stakeholders to innovate around global and Baltic Sea region challenges selected for the Camp. Regions get inspiration and high level support through the official peer-to-peer reviews of their research innovation strategies organized by the EU Joint Research Center.
Advised by experts in co-creation, smart cities and citizen-driven innovation – Aarhus Camp provides a democratic environment to build partnerships, experiment and set up engaging processes for generating solutions together. Aarhus Innovation Camp is a launchpad to foster bottom-up regional innovation and facilitate trans-regional network building.
As a European Capital of Culture 2017 and amongst the finalists of iCapital Award – Aarhus is an inspiring and vibrant environment for co-creation, innovation and ecosystem development.
Aarhus Innovation Camp is part of BSR Smart-Up project focusing on smart specialization and developing regional competitive strengths, especially related to healthy ageing, smart cities, climate change and circular economy. BSR Smart-Up involves 13 partners and over 20 associate partners in the Baltic Sea Region, including academic, municipal and regional development organizations.
For more information in lithuanian please contact: sigita.paulaviciene@kmtp.lt
For information in English about BSR Smart-Up project please contact: angelina.korsunova@aalto.fi
SUBMISSION PROCESS
Please submit your full proposal by e-mail to ideas@balticbluebioalliance.eu
The deadline for applications in this round of submissions is 15 March 2018.
Along with introducing strict EU environmental regulations to counteract air pollution in harbour cities, the maritime and transport industries in the Baltic Sea region turn towards alternative fuel and energy sources to reduce harmful emissions. The Interreg project Go LNG explores the demand and accessibility of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as one of alternative fuels that leads to cleaner shipping.
Liquefied Natural Gas: towards cleaner shipping
The Baltic Sea waterways experience high density of traffic which increases air pollution. In order to decrease further pollution, a coordinated response and shift of ship and ferry operators towards more environmentally friendly fuel alternatives, followed by favorable conditions created in harbours, is required.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is the cleanest fossil fuel; it has no colour or smell, and it emits less CO2, nitrate oxides and sulphur than coal or oil. LNG has already been recognised by Baltic Sea countries as a valuable source of energy, in line with the EU Clean Fuel Strategy and the EU Directive on Deployment of Alternative Fuel Infrastructure. There is, however, a bottleneck related to common use of this cleaner energy alternative: high price of setting up the infrastructure and its accessibility. In response to that, 18 partners from six Baltic Sea countries joined forces in the Go LNG project in order to overcome the technology and infrastructure challenges, unlock business opportunities and make shipping in the Baltic Sea cleaner.
Time to act
Within the Blue Corridor Strategy for the Baltic Sea region, the project helps shape a strategic approach for the development of the LNG infrastructure. The LNG competence centre triggers research activities and promotes knowledge increase on the LNG technology among business representatives and policy makers.
The project also establishes a Baltic LNG Cluster to link national institutions and business structures essential to ensuring effective development of the LNG infrastructure. The cluster combines expertise, know-how and available resources in LNG for transport in order to steer new businesses and offer new solutions for LNG users.
“In order to facilitate LNG infrastructure development, we need to follow the world LNG industry growth and be ahead of them,” stresses Andrius Sutnikas, Go LNG Project Coordinator in Klaipeda Science and Technology Park. He proves that transnational cooperation within the framework of Interreg is a means to explore new terrain and test new approaches. “Interreg creates a platform where you can start up. It brings different expertise, different actors together to enable your activities; in our case it’s LNG,” says Andrius. He points out the approach of people in the projects should be to think local, but act global. Although Interreg sets the partnership within the Baltic Sea region, it does not limit the activities; to the contrary, these should reach beyond the region to get inspiration, share know-how and build up businesses.
The interview
Watch the interview with Andrius Sutnikas, Go LNG Project Coordinator in Klaipeda Science and Technology Park, who explains how the Interreg springboard enables to think local but act global.
Source: https://www.interreg-baltic.eu/news-detail/news/think-local-act-global-with-interreg-video.html
On January 24-25 2018 Blekinge Institute of Technology organised CTCC (Creative Traditional Companies Cooperation) project partners meeting and the first multidisciplinary roadshow, which took place in Karlshamn.
“Creative Traditional Companies Cooperation” altogether brings 10 partners – science institutions and other organizations from Germany, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania. The leading project partner is Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design.
Klaipėda Science and Technology Park (KSTP) in this event was represented by innovation managar Solveiga Kurgonaitė. The meeting provided a platform for discussion of traditional companies – representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, whose activities are focused on the so-called “blue” and “green” sectors, and representatives of Blekinge region’s creative industries. The event became a crucial stepping stone for the project team and the project core.
Project partners already had an opportunity to evaluate the potential and prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation in Klaipėda, which would include creative industries and traditional companies – last October international CTCC team participated in the official opening of the KSTP’s Castle Workshop. At present, there are about 40 spaces with various activities, produced by the residents, representing creative industries in the port city.
Lithuanian LNG cluster has started 2018 with ambitious goals. The organisation has gathered an international consortium in Klaipėda, which is currently developing a unique vessel for inland waters. The prototype of a hybrid barge, running on liquefied biogas and electricity should be introduced already at the end of February.
The implementation of the innovative technological project involved the knowledge and resources of partners from three countries: Klaipėda-based Western Baltic Engineering, a subsidiary of the Western Shipyard, the Swedish Avatar Logistics company, the Port of Hamburg Marketing, as well as Klaipėda Science and Technology Park (KSTP), which coordinates the activity of the Lithuanian LNG cluster and became the project’s leading partner.
The new technological solution will be used for transporting liquid cargo via inland waters between Stockholm and Göteborg – the second-largest city in Sweden. The barge will be 86 m long, featuring the capacity of 2114 m3.
The prototype currently under development is unique in the entire world: the fact that the barge will be running on liquefied biogas and electricity will enable to achieve zero emissions of CO2, sulphur and particulates. The liquefied biogas is produced using biomethane – a concentration of methane gas can be supplied to a natural gas network or liquefied and used as transportation fuel. The main source of raw material for the production of biogas is livestock, poultry and farming waste. A part of the raw material consists of municipal waste from cities, sludge from municipal sewage treatment plants, as well as waste from food processing companies.
Just as CO2, methane gas contributes to the greenhouse effect. Using it for fuel helps to protect the nature.
The barge project is unique from the political perspective as well: Sweden is planning to abandon the use of diesel fuel before 2050 and thus is especially interested in various innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions.
Although inland water transport is regarded as one of the cleanest means of transport, the European fleet is very old. The average age of its inland barges is 25 years.
“The European Union is highly-interested in renewing its inland waterway fleet and has already planned certain measures. The current circumstances create a very favourable environment for the development of the shipbuilding sector, as well as the liquefied natural gas and biogas distribution chain.” stated Andrius Sutnikas, Development Manager of the KSTP, coordinating the activity at the Lithuanian LNG cluster.
He says that this project opened new business opportunities regarding increasing business competitiveness for the Lithuanian LNG cluster members developing new transport technology.
The future operator of the barge – the Swedish Avatar Logistics – will also stimulate its competitiveness, because the freight forwarding sector is increasing its attention on emissions and searching for more efficient solutions that would enable to reduce negative impact of transport on the environment.
The innovative technological solution is developed under the framework of Go LNG and Emma projects of the Interreg Baltic Sea Programme.
As a small country, Lithuania will need to retain its strong position as an economy driven by and supporting innovation. Beyond its successes in IT innovation, Lithuania has a solid foundation for developing cutting edge technologies across industries given its high production of graduates in key sectors such as engineering and science.
To highlight and promote the potential for innovative cooperation between Lithuania and the United States, the American-Lithuanian Business Council (ALBC), and the Baltic American Freedom Foundation (BAFF), and the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius have established the Lithuanian-American Innovation Award. The award will be granted to a Lithuanian individual, organization, university, or firm that has developed a cutting-edge technology or solution in collaboration with a U.S. partner.
With this award we seek to recognize and award innovation broadly across business and commerce, academic and scientific research, medicine and health, the environment, energy, and education. We invite a large pool of candidates to apply and make the case for why their innovation deserves recognition. The core requirements are an impact or clear potential impact of the innovation, and the clear demonstration of collaboration with a U.S. individual or entity.
Award
The winner will receive 10,000 Euro (gross) and a runner-up 5,000 Euro (gross). The award is recognition of Lithuanian and U.S. ties and innovative thinking. It is not intended as seed money for start-up companies or a support for a specific organizational plan or model.
Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must be Lithuanian residents, firms, or organizations registered in Lithuania. Submitted projects must demonstrate a clear Lithuanian-American link according to a combination of at least two of the following factors:
- The development and implementation of the innovation has taken place in Lithuania.
- The project is the result of work conducted in the framework of US-Lithuania academic, commercial, professional, or artistic partnership or clear collaborative effort.
- The Lithuanian initiator and responsible person/entity has strong ties with the United States.
- The project has been funded or sponsored by a U.S. source.
- The end-user or beneficiary is an American organization.
Selection Criteria
Innovations will be evaluated per the following criteria, in descending order of importance:
Originality
Is the innovation a brand new concept?
Is the variation on an old idea creative?
Is the adaptation unique?
Impact
Has the innovation already impacted its given field?
Is there clear potential for the innovation to impact its field?
Can the innovation’s benefits be easily measured?
Applicability
Is the innovation applicable to other companies, fields, or countries?
Is the innovation easily and practically delivered to its end users?
Have the results of the innovation have been recognized by peers, critics, or in professional journals; or has it demonstrated success in the market place?
Collaboration
Does the innovation successfully demonstrate collaboration and cooperation between Lithuanian and American individuals or entities?
Timeliness
The innovation should not be more than five years old.
Value
Is the innovation cost effective?
Does the innovation increase efficiency by adding value or reducing costs?
Applications
To apply, each candidate must fill out the cover page included at the end of this document and include it with:
A summary in English of up to 1000 words describing the innovation, the collaboration, and the impact or potential impact.
Up to six pages of additional documents supporting the application (can include references, recommendations, reviews, photos, more detailed plans, etc.)
A confirmation that all information in the application is true and valid and that the applicant meets all Terms and Conditions.
Applicants must be Lithuanian residents, firms, or organizations registered in Lithuania. The applications should come directly from the applicants themselves, rather than as nominations on behalf of another entity.
Applications due by 2018 m. January 29, 2018.
More information and a cover page for aplicants HERE
From the autumn of the year 2018 UAB Baltkonta will start to provide liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation services. Klaipėda-based company, which belongs to the Limarko Group, is getting flagship status in this field as it is the first logistics company in Lithuania to enter LNG distribution market.
“Until now, we observed the situation when the companies operating in the energy sector were providing transportation services as well. But for sure there is a need for more logistics companies in the LNG market. Experienced people and their competencies may ensure a truly broad range of services related with the LNG transportation and transfer of gas”, – emphasized CEO of UAB Limarko Vytautas Lygnugaris.
According to the Development Manager of the Klaipėda Science and Technology Park Andrius Sutnikas, who also coordinates the activities of the Lithuanian LNG Cluster, the involvement of specialized companies in the LNG market is of a great value: “LNG transportation is one of the main challenges striving for the faster development of LNG infrastructure in the Baltic Sea Region. Klaipėda-based company, which is entering the new market, will make a significant contribution to the development of the LNG distribution chain in our country and beyond. Investment in this field proves a far-sighted approach”.
Request for special gas tank trailer production has already been submitted to the manufacturer in Germany. At the initial stage, one transport facility will be purchased, following an investment of EUR 400,000.
“The company carefully analyzed the situation in the. Today we have no doubt that the time is right and this step will open up a good prospect for our business”, – said Kęstutis Kairys, CEO of UAB Baltkonta.
Hackers, engineers, designers, UX masters, marketers, business developers and all those who want to build stuff – here is a weekend for you.
H A C K E R G A M E S is an event that pools eager entrepreneurs, software developers and engineers into a confined space for two days and challenges them to create a cool killer product.
There will be 3 tracks: S O F T W A R E, H A R D W A R E and G A M E S. All tracks will have different mentors and tools, separate winners and judging criteria. Start generating your ideas now!
We are looking for people who are motivated to solve real problems, people who are capable to develop fine products, people who are passionate about innovation and ready to escape from their daily routines. You can do whatever you want – create a new carpooling app, design a next world-wide known game, some SaaS solution or build a cool gadget for Internet of Things lovers.
The only condition here is that you create something from scratch – possibilities should be equal for all as you will compete for P R I Z E S:
- 600 EUR in cash for the winners of Software track from TeleSoftas
- 1000 EUR for an industry trip from GameInsight
- 1000 EUR in cash for solving problems provided by Klaipeda Free Economic Zone (any track)
- There will be more! Keep a close eye on updates!
How will everything work?
it’s a 48 hours event, so be ready to work till late at night or even overnight, we will make sure that you would be filled with coffee and have a corner for a nap;
you come on Friday evening, pitch your idea, form teams and start developing products;
mentors from various professional backgrounds will come to help you in the process, so do not panic if you are stuck with your product;
you will have to prepare your final pitch and show your best in front of the Jury on Sunday afternoon, winners will get it all!
What will you get?
- workspace for you and your team with high speed internet;
- food and beverages free of charge for you;
- possibility to stay at the workspace overnight;
- T-Shirt and other nice giveaways;
- prizes for the best products developed over the weekend.
You can start talking about it Now!
Hacker Games is the series of hackathons organized by Enterprise Lithuania and Startup Lithuania. First event took place in Klaipėda in September 2015, second event in Vilnius in November 2015, third event in Kaunas last March, the fourth in Vilnius last June, the fifth in Klaipėda in September, the sixth in Vilnius last November, the seventh event took place in Kaunas this March and the lastest event occurred in Vilnius this June.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Antanas Urbonas, project manager at Startup Lithuania, a.urbonas@enterpriselithuania.com
In 2017 the Swedish Business Awards in Lithuania will take place on the 8th of November. The Awards’ ceremony focuses on Technology and Innovation as the key topics of the event.
The Swedish Business Awards in Lithuania will continue with its commitment to sustainable business practices – the Award’s ceremony in 2017 will be organized in accordance with the requirements of ISO 20121:2012 Event Sustainability Management System standard. Just like last year, in order to offset the direct and unavoidable carbon emissions from event organisation, Business Sweden together with the event partners will plant young pine trees in Lithuanian forests.
The Swedish Business Awards is one of the main business events in the country which serves as a platform for spreading Swedish values. It also serves as a yearly meeting point for business, science and political community, to discuss achievements, practices, challenges and trends.
Nominations and the Procedure
This year initiatives and achievements in Lithuania will be awarded in three categories:
• Sustainable Growth Award
• Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Technological Innovation of the Year Award
Nominations are open for all companies/organizations/institutions and individuals, active in Lithuania.
Key-note speaker
Each year the Awards’s ceremony is honored by a special guest.This year’s guest speaker in Lithuania is Christina Bengtsson, a focus expert who is an author, lecturer, military officer and World Champion in precision shooting.
From zero to hero by using the power of focus. She is a top expert on focus, and latest employed within the National Defence College in Stockholm. She is the author of the acclaimed book “The Art of Focus – 10.9” and provides concrete advice about how we can take command over and control our thoughts, not merely in crucial situations, but in life as a whole.
The month of May marked the begining of the project Green Team Network, an initiative to support the HELCOM CBSS Green Team, expand the cross-sectorial stakeholders network that will support the Roadmap for Green Technology and Alternative Fuels in the Baltic Sea, and thus the implementation of Sustainable Baltic Shipping, Green Technology and Alternative Fuels.
The cooperation forum “Green Technology and Alternative Fuels Platform in Baltic Sea Shipping” was launched at the conference organised by the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) and HELCOM, in cooperaiton with the Baltic Development Forum (BDF) and the Northern Dimension Partnership on Transport and Logistics (NDPTL) on 16th January 2014. It aimed to provide a forum for structured dialogue between public and the private sector stakeholders, including ship-owners, shipbuilding and marine design enterprises, manufacturers, ports, cargo owners and the research community, with a view to enhance effectiveness of measures through information sharing, increased communication and coherence.
Since then a Roadmap was formed and different projects around the Baltics have been moving sustainable shipping initiatives forward. To coordinate further, and find suitable joint ways forward in our area, the first meeting with the HELCOM Maritime Green Team, in cooperation with CBSS, was organised on 5th September 2017 on the Island of Donsö in the Gothenburg archipelago.
The challenges and opportunities are of transnational and of cross-sectorial perspective. The key for overstepping the challenges and staying with opportunities only, is a multi-sectorial maritime industry participation from all across of the region.
It’s in this setting that the project Green Team Network has been started. The project will identify and bring in relevant actors that were not active in this platform in the past. It also aims at creating synergies with other existing platforms related to sustainable shipping in the region. One of these is Baltic LNG Cluster, which is focused on the development of demand and accessibility of LNG in the Baltic Sea region and is contributing to the implementaton of the EU Clean Fuel Strategy and the EU Directive on Deployment of Alternative Fuel Infrastructure. This platform is represented by the Klaipeda Science & Technology Park (LT).
Project partner in Green Team Network is also Maritime Institute in Gdansk, a research and development unit supervised by the Ministry of Maritime Economy in Poland. The Institute will contribute witht their expertise and network in identifying and reaching out to relevant stakeholders.
The project Green Team Network is a project coordinated by Zero Vision Tool (SE) in partnership with Maritime Institute in Gdansk (PL), Estonian Shipowners Association (EE) and Klaipeda Science and Technology Park (LT). The project is co-financed by the Swedish Institute, programme for Baltic Sea region.
