2014:9. ZVT. Anders Carlberg, Region Västra Götaland.

Maritime issues is a priority .

The maritime sector is one of the core strengths of the region Västra Götaland, says Anders Carlberg, Region Västra Götaland. We took the opportunity to speak to Anders during the conference arranged by theMaritime Cluster of West of Sweden on November 4. We also spoke to Helén Jansson, Zero Vision Tool, who was one of the presenters at the conference. Listen to the interview in Swedish or read the English translation.

Anders, how did you come up with this idea of the maritime cluster? . The maritime sector, with all of its companies from many different industries, is a very large business in Västra Götaland. It is one of our core strengths, and within the region where I work we invest in what we are good at in order to improve further, and therefore maintain our position. Working with maritime issues is a priority for the region. . Looking back on it, how do you think the day has gone? . I think it has gone very well. The purpose behind today was to allow entrepreneurs, companies and project owners of different kinds that work with new operations in the maritime sector to present what they are doing and to come in contact with each other. We have had a total of 36 presentations and I think it has all worked out very well. There have been a lot of people in attendance. Between 240 and 250 people have listened to the presentations, and I think that there has been quite a good dynamic to this meeting. Well, that's my feeling anyway. . Where have the visitors come from? . They have come from the municipalities on the west coast of Sweden, from the University and from what I would call promotional organisations, people like myself working for organisations that want to promote commercial development etc. Representatives from many small businesses and a number of larger companies were also present. . Helen Jansson, one of the presenters here today, how do you think the day has gone? . As a presenter I got to speak four times, 15 minutes on each occasion, to a very mixed audience. It was very interesting to receive questions from the public and also to highlight the projects we are working on at Zero Vision Tool, all the work that the industry is actually doing in collaboration with Region Västra Götaland as well as other authorities and agencies, and for this to be taken forward. An excellent initiative, really. . Can you give some examples of the questions you were asked when in your booth? . Yes, questions such as: How can one work together when maybe you are competitors elsewhere? Which is a very good question. Many of the ideas at Zero Vision Tool concern limitations: when is knowledge shared, and when are you in competition? To get a change not only in anticipation of 2015 but also in the long term. It was fantastic to be able to stand here and talk to so many different stakeholders and for they in turn to share their knowledge. . Anders, what do you see as the next step for maritime work in Region Västra Götaland? . We have six investment areas in the maritime sector. Shipping, maritime operations, is one of them. We work in groups, including with SSPA and leading companies, in order to identify neglected areas where we need to make a concentrated effort in terms of new projects – in which we get both universities and companies to work together to lift ourselves up a step. That's what we are doing in our day-to-day work and what we will continue to do through to 2016. Then we will have meetings such as this one. We already have the Swedish Maritime Day in the spring and the idea is that maritime meetings such as this one will take place in the autumn. These are two completely different events, but the common feature is that they both gather stakeholders from the maritime industry. . Helen, have you got any final words about the day? . Yes, I think that it is extremely good that there is commitment at local, regional and global levels from which we can all benefit. Therefore there is a need for committed individuals such as Anders who can drive forward our region's issues while making sure they remain linked to others. . Thanks!