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25 DELTARES, OCTOBER 2019 If there is an idea for a new project, SmartPort first organises extensive discussions with companies, research institutes and government agencies. 'We sometimes get a question from companies and it turns out that there is a different, deeper, question underlying the initial question,' explains the direc- tor. 'That means it is important to get a clear picture of what the real research question is in close collaboration with the parties concerned.' Publicly available In the next stage, the appropriate re­ search institutes get to work. 'We pass on the objective, scientific information that is ultimately generated to compa- nies and governments,' says Van Opstall. All the results are publicly available, and not just for the participating parties, she emphasises. 'If companies and organi- sations then implement the results in their strategy and that accelerates inno- vation, we think we have done well and attained our objective.' SmartPort has initiatedmore than seven­ ty research projects since 2015. Forty of themhave now been completed or are reaching the final stages. SmartPort has invested 9million euros, 12million euros have come from the participating com- panies and other partners, and 20million euros in subsidies have been received. In order to bring focus to the projects, they have been classified in three areas known as 'roadmaps'. Studies in the area of Smart Logistics target the opti- misation of the transport chain through automation and the digital transition. Smart Energy & Industry covers research into the optimal performance of petro- chemical companies such as oil refineries and chemical companies, and the intro- duction of renewable energy. The studies in the Future-Proof Port Infrastructure area revolve around the smart use of ma- ritime infrastructure and waterways with the minimum impact on people, nature and the environment. Distant issues 'The alliance focuses primarily on distant issues ,' says Van Opstall. In other words, scenarios for the period 2030 to 2050, for example. 'Innovation can take a long time,' she explains. The implementation of electrification, for example, will take more than fifteen years. The participants in SmartPort have agreed to cooperate until 2023 at least. They will then look at whether the know­ ledge platformwill continue in its current form. Van Opstall expects it will: 'Our work will still be needed then. Companies and research institutes need an inde- pendent third party – in other words, us – to initiate these research projects. They need knowledge tomake important decisions. And because we retrieve the information and distribute it, innovation goes faster.' www.smart-port.nl 'Because we retrieve the information and distribute it, innovation goes faster' RT BUSINESSES