The sustainable use of the oceans offers enormous economic potential, but on the other hand also poses considerable scientific and technical challenges for the actors involved. If we succeed in resolving the supposed contradiction between economic use and sustainability, we will be able to observe considerable contributions of the maritime industry to solving global problems in the fields of energy, food and raw materials.

This complex task requires both interdisciplinary cooperation between the natural sciences, engineering and computer science and close links between university research and education, applied research and entrepreneurial activity.

This is the basic idea behind the Ocean Technology Campus Rostock, which is currently under construction. Following on from the maritime tradition in the north-east, the innovative power of the region is to be significantly strengthened by a spatial concentration of important partners and close coordination between the players, and a cluster with international appeal for researchers* and entrepreneurs* will be created through specialization.

The conceptual phase of Cluster4Future will now address the coordination of research priorities in underwater technology and regional value creation as well as the establishment of effective innovation processes for potential fields of application (sustainable aquaculture, deep-sea activities, energy, environmental burdens, maritime safety and ecosystem assessment) with the consortium and actors from industry and society.

The IOW is significantly involved in the analyses of the potential of and demand for new technologies and applications in the field of underwater sensor technology and antifouling in monitoring applications. Furthermore, the preparation and implementation of the planned workshop on the topic "Qualification and Attraction of Young Scientists" will be supported.