ROTATE DEVICE TO VIEW AGENDA

Please find details of the 2025 Participants Workshop Agenda.

All Plenary Sessions and breaks will be held on Level 3 in the Conference Centre. Project meetings will be held in various locations across Levels 1, 2 and 3. The Education and Training Day on Monday will be held in the Aberdeen Room on Level 2. Head back to the main workshop page here.

Location: Aberdeen Room
Invitees: PhD Scholars & Postdoc Research Fellows

9:00am

MORNING TEA SERVED ON ARRIVAL
Convention Centre Foyer

9:00am
–
12:00pm

Graduate Attributes Session

12:00pm
–
1:00pm

LUNCH BREAK
Convention Centre Foyer

1:00pm
–
4:30pm

Industry Needs & Future Solutions for Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture
Presented by Ocean Impact Organisation in collaboration with the Blue Economy CRC

This interactive half-day workshop brings together leading industry partners and a select group of PhD students from the Blue Economy CRC to explore the current and future challenges facing sustainable offshore aquaculture in Australia and beyond.

Facilitated by Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) — Australia’s leading ocean impact startup accelerator and innovation partner — the workshop is designed to spark meaningful connections, inspire applied research pathways, and lay the foundation for impactful collaboration between academia and industry.

What to Expect

  • Hear directly from industry leaders about the pressing problems they are seeking solutions for — from offshore infrastructure innovation to sustainable feed and autonomous monitoring technologies.
  • Participate in facilitated group sessions to map how your research could transition into real-world applications that meet genuine industry needs.
  • Gain insight into technology readiness levels (TRLs), commercialisation pathways, and what’s needed to take an idea from lab to market.
  • Contribute to shaping future pilot projects and partnerships to be explored through the Blue Economy CRC’s research engagement and commercialisation pathways.

Facilitated by

Elisa-Marie Dumas

Head of Global Programs and Partners
Ocean Impact Organisation

Elisa-Marie Dumas is a global leader in entrepreneurial development, innovation, and commercialisation, with 15+ years of experience designing and delivering high-impact programs worldwide. As CEO of Springboard, she championed female founders on a global scale. At Investible, she led global programs and partnerships, driving the success of founders across both agnostic and Climate Tech Funds while supporting capital raises. Most recently, as Chief Impact Officer at Greenhouse, Australia’s first dedicated climate tech hub, she played a pivotal role in accelerating the commercialisation of groundbreaking climate solutions. Now, as Head of Global Programs and Partners at Ocean Impact Organisation, she continues to empower innovators shaping the sustainable blue economy.

5:00pm
–
7:00pm

NETWORKING EVENT
Convention Centre Foyer

ABOUT OCEAN IMPACT ORGANISATION

Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO) helps startups make their greatest impact through funding and growth opportunities.

Headquartered in Australia with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region, our commercialisation programs and support initiatives accelerate the best solutions to transform ocean health.

At the forefront of the ocean health innovation ecosystem, OIO is passionately driving impact and investment into the rapidly emerging sustainable blue economy.

TIME

TITLE

OVERVIEW

Speakers / Panellists

8:00am
–
10:00am

Barista coffee cart & workshop registration open

8:00am
–
10:00am

Project meetings
See project meetings tab

10:00am
–
10:30am

MORNING TEA (30 mins)
Conference Foyer

10:30am
–
11:10am

Workshop Welcome
Acknowledgement of Country, welcome & overview

Presenters:

11:10am
–
12:30pm

Open Ocean Aquaculture (Part I)
Featuring seaweed production trials

Facilitator: Lindsey White, Blue Economy CRC / Auckland University of Technology

Presenters & Panellists:

12:30pm
–
1:30pm

LUNCH BREAK (60 mins)
Conference Foyer

1:30pm
–
3:00pm

Offshore Renewable Energy
Featuring the M4 wave energy converter

Facilitator: Jana Orszaghova, BE CRC / University of Western Australia

Presenters and Panellists:

3:00pm
–
3:05pm

Partner Showcase
Featuring BMT and Plant & Food Research

  • Seamus Miller and Nick Rozenauers, BMT
  • Peter Bell, Plant & Food Research

3:05pm
–
3:30pm

AFTERNOON TEA BREAK (25 mins)
Conference Foyer

3:30pm
–
5:20pm

Ocean Governance and Stewardship
Featuring Futures of Seafood and marine spatial planning studies 

Facilitator: Sarah Ulgade, Blue Economy CRC 

Presenters & Panellists:

5:20pm
–
5:30pm

Blue Economy Leaders of the Future
Introduction to the PhD poster session

Facilitator: Chris Carter, Blue Economy CRC

Presenters: 

5:30pm
–
7:30pm

Join us for our 2025 Participants Workshop networking event
& PhD poster session in the
MARKET PAVILION

TIME

TITLE

OVERVIEW

Speakers / Panellists

8:00am
–
10:00am

Barista coffee cart open

8:00am
–
10:00am

Project meetings
see project meetings tab

10:00am
–
10:30am

MORNING TEA (30 mins)
Conference Foyer

10:30am
–
10:40am

Welcome and Day 1 summary
Highlights from the PhD Industry Needs & Future Solutions session

Presenter:

10:40am
–
12:10pm

Decarbonisation Pathways
Featuring MoorPower scaled demonstration 

Facilitator: Gemma Gwilliams, Tassal

Presenters & Panellists:

12:10pm
–
1:10pm

LUNCH BREAK (60 MIN)
Conference Foyer

1:10pm
–
2:30pm

Hydrogen in the Blue Economy
Featuring The Hydrogen Production and Research Facility 

Facilitator: Irene Penesis, Blue Economy CRC

Presenters & Panellists:

2:30pm
–
2:45pm

AFTERNOON TEA (15 MIN)
Conference Foyer

2:45pm
–
4:45pm

Open Ocean Aquaculture (Part II)
Featuring the Blue Economy Zone Aquaculture research trial and NZ Blue Endeavour commercial pilot deep dives

Facilitator: Monique Hatfull, New Zealand King Salmon

Presenters & Panellists:

4:45pm
–
5:00pm

Presentation of PhD poster awards
Close of the 2025 Participants Workshop

Presenter: Greg Johannes, Blue Economy CRC

5:00pm
–
7:00pm

Blue Economy Zone Networking Event
Conference Foyer – open to all

THURSDAY 29th MAY, 7:30am – 5pm

Devonport & surrounds

Join us for a hands-on tour of Tasmania’s northwestern aquaculture operations, building directly on concepts explored in the previous day’s Open Ocean Aquaculture Workshop session.

The tour includes a boat trip to the Bass Strait Research Trial Site during its commissioning phase, BioMar’s Wesley Vale Feed Factory and Petuna’s Rowella salmon farm in the Tamar River estuary.

Tours will depart at various times from 7:30am and return to the Paranaple Convention Centre.

Dress: Enclosed shoes

FRIDAY 30th MAY, 9am – 11am

HOBART

The Hydrogen Production & Research Facility is Tasmania’s first green hydrogen production facility supporting research & training for blue economy industries whilst providing commercial-scale hydrogen for industry & transport applications.

The facility features a highly innovative DC hydrogen microgrid, controlling one of Australia’s largest electrolysers, generating 100% renewable, green hydrogen.

Dress requirements: long sleeves, long pants and steel cap safety boots. PPE provided. 

NOTE: Transport to Hobart from Devonport will be provided by the Blue Economy CRC on Thursday afternoon upon completion of the Devonport tours. We recommend the Movenpick in Hobart.

REGISTER TO ATTEND TOURS

Register your Tours EOI here

TIME

ROOM

OVERVIEW

DAY 1 – TUESDAY 27th MARCH

8:00am
–
10:00am

MERSEY (PLENARY 2)

1.23.006 – Novel Offshore Fish Pen Design: Phase 2 (open to all) 

8:00am
–
9:00am

TORQUAY (PLENARY 3)

4.21.002 – Marine Spatial Planning for a Blue Economy (open to BE CRC Participants only) 

8:00am
–
5:00pm

ABERDEEN

Room hold: Blue Policy and Planning team (closed session) 

8:00am
–
5:00pm

PARDOE

Room hold: CRC.23.001 – Analysing Graduate Attributes and Employability of BECRC RHD students Interviews (closed session) 

DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY 28th MARCH

8:00am
–
9:00am

EUGENANA

1.25.00.1 – MoorPower Commercial Prototype (closed session) 

8:00am
–
10:00am

MERSEY (PLENARY 2)

3.21.004 – Seeding marine innovation in SW WA with a WEC deployment in Albany (open to all) 

8:00am
–
10:00am

TORQUAY (PLENARY 3)

3.22.002 – System level modelling to improve the performance of Offshore Sustainable Power (closed session) 

8:00am
–
9:00am

QUOIBA

4.22.001 – BE CRC Data Infrastructure: Maximising utility, protecting confidentiality and delivering our legacy (closed session) 

9:00am
–
10:00am

QUOIBA

2.23.003 – Production models and tools for offshore aquaculture (open to all) 

9:00am
–
10:00am

EUGENANA

3.21.005 – Risk-based Procedures for Safe and Reliable ORES (closed session)

8:00am
–
5:00pm

ABERDEEN

Room hold: Blue Policy and Planning team (closed session) 

8:00am
–
5:00pm

PARDOE

Room hold: CRC.23.001 – Analysing Graduate Attributes and Employability of BECRC RHD students Interviews (closed session) 

Tuesday 27th May, 5:30pm – 7:30pm

Participants Workshop Networking Event

Location: Market Square Pavilion, Paranaple Convention Centre

Join us for our 2025 Participants Workshop networking event – a highlight on our yearly calendar where our Participants come together for a unique networking event following the wrap of Day 1.

Wednesday 28th May, 2025, 5pm – 7pm

Blue Economy Zone Networking Event

Location: Conference Centre Foyer, Paranaple Convention Centre

Join project lead representatives and the extended Blue Economy Zone network for a networking evening.