CINEA Connects Ocean Energy Stakeholders at The Hague Event
More than 500 ocean energy professionals met in The Hague for the International Conference on Ocean Energy 2026. CINEA presented EU funding programmes…
THE HAGUE — CINEA connects ocean energy stakeholders with EU funding and project support at the International Conference on Ocean Energy 2026 in The Hague, the Netherlands. More than 500 professionals from around the world gathered for the event from 5 to 7 October to discuss developments and opportunities in the sector.
The conference brought together industry, researchers, innovators, policymakers and other stakeholders. For people working on ocean energy projects, CINEA’s presence offered a direct route to ask about available programmes, upcoming calls and support at different stages of development.
Direct exchanges mattered.
CINEA connects ocean energy projects to EU funding
CINEA took part in a session called “What’s on the menu? Funding panorama.” Project Advisers Alessia Di Loreto and Charles-André Lemarié outlined EU funding for ocean energy through the Innovation Fund and Horizon Europe Energy programmes.
The session was fully booked and included a round-table question-and-answer discussion. Participants raised questions related to their individual profiles, projects and funding needs, according to the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, which manages the programmes.
CINEA also maintained a stand in the exhibition area. Agency colleagues presented Horizon Europe, LIFE and the Innovation Fund, explaining how the programmes can support different stages of development. They spoke with potential applicants about forthcoming information days, upcoming calls and other relevant funding opportunities.
The conversations also covered work already under way. CINEA colleagues discussed progress and recent developments with coordinators and beneficiaries of ongoing EU-funded projects, giving project teams an opportunity to engage directly with the agency.
Wave and tidal projects feature in conference programme
The programme included EU-funded projects working on ocean energy. Horizon Europe-supported EURO-TIDES and WEDUSEA featured alongside FloWatt, which is supported by the Innovation Fund. Project representatives contributed to sessions on wave and tidal energy, presenting efforts to develop, demonstrate and scale up the technologies.
Projects were visible in the exhibition, too. VianaWave and NH1 Raz-Blanchard were among those supported through the Innovation Fund. Horizon Europe-supported projects on display included OEFS, FORWARD-2030 and MEGA WAVE PTO. FOREST and COIN were presented at the WavEC stand.
The exhibition showed a range of ocean energy technologies backed by EU programmes managed by CINEA. The source agency said this funding helps bring innovative technologies closer to deployment, but provided no comparative performance figures for the projects.
The event’s wider programme combined policy and technology discussions with networking, an exhibition and visits to ocean energy projects in the Netherlands. Its opening session featured Matthijs Soede, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and Chair of the International Energy Agency’s Ocean Energy Systems; Arno Bonte, Regional Minister for Energy at the Province of Zuid-Holland; and Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe.
Their contributions highlighted the need for international cooperation, innovation and supportive policy frameworks to accelerate the development and deployment of ocean energy technologies. CINEA said direct dialogue helps it stay connected to the sector’s priorities, challenges and future developments.
More than 500 ocean energy professionals attended the conference.
Source: cinea.ec.europa.eu
