TIDE: Tasmanian Innovation Discovery Enterprise
Greater Hobart has been invited into a European partnership that could connect our businesses, researchers and community with international expertise, markets and investment.
Nothing has been decided yet, and we want to hear from you before it is.
What is happening
A partnership with one of Europe's leading blue economies.
Through the European Union's International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) program, the Greater Hobart Councils Partnership and TasPorts have been paired with Catalonia's BlueNetCat network, a driving force behind the Port of Barcelona's €60 million BlueTechPort hub.
This collaboration will help establish The TIDE: Greater Hobart's Antarctic, Marine and Blue Economy Exchange, an innovation hub connecting Tasmanian businesses, researchers, agencies and community with international partners, test environments, supply chains and funding.
The timing matters. In June 2026, Australia concluded negotiations to join Horizon Europe. From January 2027, Australian organisations can lead and join projects in its Pillar II, spanning climate, energy, food, bioeconomy and the environment.
What Greater Hobart brings to the table
Capabilities Europe cannot easily replicate.
Barcelona brings a mature blue economy cluster and deep experience of European programs. Greater Hobart brings one of the world's most concentrated clusters of Antarctic and Southern Ocean expertise, a few kilometres from a working deep-water port. Our seasons also run opposite to Barcelona's, so together the two regions can offer partners year-round testing.
| Antarctic gateway port |
Macquarie Wharf's Antarctic and cruise terminal, home port of RSV Nuyina and summer base for France's L'Astrolabe. |
| Hobart International Airport |
A runway extended to take C-17s, with the seasonal A319 service to Wilkins aerodrome in Antarctica. |
| Science on the doorstep |
The Australian Antarctic Division, IMAS and CSIRO's marine laboratories, home to most of Australia's Antarctic and Southern Ocean scientists. |
| International standing |
Headquarters of the CCAMLR and ACAP secretariats, with the SOOS and IMOS offices on the waterfront. |
| Prince of Wales Bay |
Incat is building three 129-metre battery-electric ferries for Denmark's Molslinjen. |
| A polar workforce |
More than 1000 Tasmanians work in the sector, and more than 60 local businesses supply Antarctic expeditions. |
What has been agreed, and what remains open
Four proposed pilots.
Greater Hobart and Catalonia have confirmed a framework for four proposed pilots. Scope and details are not finalised, giving a concrete starting point while leaving room for local partners to shape each one.
| Shared framework |
One published method for judging pilot results, accepted in both regions, so what is proven in Greater Hobart counts in Europe. |
| Dynamic master planning |
Joining up port and city planning so the flow-on effects of decisions are visible before they are made. |
| Real-time marine monitoring |
Testing Catalan radar, vision and sensing technology in the Derwent, starting with navigational safety on the Tasman Bridge approach. |
| Nature-positive port infrastructure |
Port and waterfront infrastructure that supports economic activity while restoring and enhancing marine and coastal ecosystems. |
The living lab produces evidence, not decisions. Planning, regulatory and environmental decisions stay with the responsible bodies and their usual processes. The IURC program funds travel and a small seed-funding round; it is not an investment fund.
Who we want to hear from
Everyone with a stake in our harbour and our blue economy. Each group has something different to gain, and something different to tell us. Download the two-page overview that fits you.
| Industry |
Trial technology in a live port, reach European buyers and partners, and help define what a commercially valuable result looks like.
Industry overview(PDF, 246KB)
|
| Research |
Co-author the shared evaluation framework and build the partnerships Horizon Europe consortia are formed from.
Research overview(PDF, 245KB)
|
| Government |
Put an international delivery vehicle behind priorities the region has already adopted, with better evidence for decisions.
Government overview(PDF, 247KB)
|
| Community and civil society |
Tell us what the harbour means to you, and help hold the program to its commitments through a community reference group.
Community overview(PDF, 245KB)
|
What this looks like elsewhere – comparable exchanges from Halifax, Barcelona, Singapore, Hamburg, Valencia, Rotterdam, Seattle and Western Australia: Case studies(PDF, 205KB)
What happens next
Testing the waters
BlueNetCat delegation in Greater Hobart. Facilitated workshops bring local partners together and identify champions for each pilot.
Greater Hobart industry, research, government and community stakeholders develop governance and pilot project plans.
Greater Hobart confirms the working agenda with Barcelona.
IURC Competitive Fund application, with decisions in December.
Australian organisations can lead and join Horizon Europe Pillar II projects.
Pilots delivered, consortia built, and the pipeline widens.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Has anything been decided?
No. A framework has been agreed with Catalonia, but the scope of each pilot is still open and nothing is signed during the October visit. What happens next depends on what we hear from industry, research, government and the community.
Will this change the waterfront?
Not by itself. The living lab produces information to support better decisions. Planning, regulatory and environmental decisions stay with the responsible bodies and their usual public processes.
The TIDE is co-delivered by the Greater Hobart Councils Partnership and TasPorts, with support from the European Union's International Urban and Regional Cooperation program.
