Ports, Oceans & Climate Tech Acceleration

Southampton and the wider Solent region are recognised as a coastal powerhouse for innovation, home to world-class ports, maritime expertise, and cutting-edge research. With the UK’s largest export port and a thriving marine economy, the Solent is uniquely positioned to lead on climate resilience, ocean health, and clean energy solutions.

At this event, we’ll explore how ports and coastal communities can become climate tech hubs, championing innovation in sectors such as offshore wind, ocean data intelligence, and energy storage.

We will also be using this event as a springboard for the Barclays National Climate Tech Accelerator Programme, launched in partnership with Sustainable Ventures. The programme provides tiered support for climate tech businesses, helping them scale, connect with industry leaders, and accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero.

What to Expect

Keynote Talks:

• Maritime Solent – The role of ports as climate tech hubs in the UK
• Coastal Communities South – A new University of Southampton initiative
• Barclays National Climate Tech Accelerator – How we’re supporting the next wave of innovators

Innovation Lightning Talks (7 mins each):

• Energy resilience & advanced storage – Ewan Fraser, soLead
• Ocean health & data intelligence – James Doherty, Plastic-i
• Air quality monitoring & mitigation – Atanas Burmov, Airlytics
• Floating wind solutions – Will Rowley, Offshore Wind Solutions

Who Should Attend?

• Climate tech startups & SMEs – Scale your impact and connect with industry leaders
• Corporates & primes – Explore partnerships in sustainability and innovation
• Universities & research organisations – Share knowledge and collaborate on cutting-edge solutions
• Investors & ecosystem partners – Discover emerging opportunities in the net zero transition

Agenda (16:00 – 18:30)

• 15:30 – 16:00: Arrival & Networking
• 16:00 – 16:15: Welcome & Opening Remarks
• 16:15 – 16:45: Keynote: Ports as Climate Hubs
• 16:45 – 17:15: Innovation Lightning Talks x4
• 17:15 – 17:45: Panel Discussion
• 17:45 – 18:30: Networking & Close

Why Southampton?

The Solent region is home to the UK’s largest export port, a thriving marine economy, and a cluster of world-leading research institutions. With its strategic position and maritime heritage, Southampton is driving innovation in clean shipping, offshore renewables, and ocean health technologies—making it a natural hub for climate tech collaboration.

Barclays provides financial services to a range of sectors including high-emitting industries such as oil and gas. We’re working to reduce the emissions we finance and support clients in the transition; for more information visit home.barclays/climatechange”

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