GreenOffshoreTech (GOT) is a cluster facilitated project with the purpose of supporting innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), fostering development of the emerging Blue Economy industries by enabling new cross-sectorial and cross-border value chains based on shared challenges and the deployment of key enabling technologies (KET).
GreenOffshoreTech will facilitate the creation of new products, processes or services with the ambition to make offshore production and transport green, clean and sustainable towards a resource-efficient economy and EU GreenDeal, while facing Reindustrialization.
Our leading-edge cluster MAI Carbon is part of the project consortium that promotes collaboration between SMEs from different sectors, regions and countries in the use of key technologies such as advanced materials, advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and environmental technologies in offshore wind energy, offshore aquaculture and the established offshore oil & gas and water transportation sectors.
Between September 2021 and September 2024, GreenOffshoreTech project has supported hundreds of SMEs in taking their innovative solutions to market. One of them is our CU member LEBMEIER. Read the interview with owner and manager Dr.-Ing Rainer Lebmeier here.
Company: Lebmeier
Country: Germany
Homepage: www.lebmeier.de
LinkedIn Page: www.linkedin.com/in/dr-rainer-lebmeier-50680b314
Dr.-Ing. Rainer Lebmeier, Owner and Manager
“Only with the financial support from GOT was it possible to register the corresponding IP rights to create a solid basis.”
Why was GOT important to you/your SME?
We had an idea for the topic of GOT, but without the financial and, above all, professional support, the idea would never have been realized. It was only through the GOT project that the idea could be brought forward! Thanks to the excellent support from the clusters and Frank Schmull, the Lebmeier engineering office has now, after more than 30 years, become a German GmbH (Dr.-Ing. Lebmeier GmbH; www.lebmeier.de). And the topic of additively manufactured, optionally fiber-reinforced C/SiC ceramics led together with Ingo Meinelt to another GmbH (Asterio Technology GmbH; www.asteriotech.de).
What are the advantages of participating in a project like GOT?
For an SME, participating in an EU project on its own is a huge challenge. Only with the support of experienced clusters from the industry and the extensive assumption of administrative tasks is it possible for an SME to tackle such a task. The resulting new contacts and networks mean that we are still in contact with some of the participating companies from GOT, have already met at the SMM in Hamburg and have been able to expand our network again.
What were the big takeaways from participating and integrating into the GOT ecosystem?
Working in this innovative environment with so many small companies is an unbelievable pleasure and new ideas arise in every conversation which need to be investigated and will hopefully lead to new projects. However, this result would never have been possible without the umbrella of efficient clusters and companies that have always been on hand with help and advice. We will certainly look to participate in such projects again in the future.
From start to finish, what was the biggest challenge and the greatest achievement?
At the beginning of the project, it was a success to have reached the second round. And it was precisely this step-by-step approach that made none of the hurdles impossible for us. However, the requirements were always set so high that new things were created and progress was made at a rapid pace in an SME project. We realized that we could bring new ideas to the market with the right support, and at the same time we were able to adapt the company structure with expert support and found further new limited companies. Only with the financial support from GOT was it possible to register the corresponding IP rights to create a solid basis. In the end, reaching the final stage and successfully completing GOT is the greatest success for us in order to work successfully in this new network in the future.
You can find more information about the project on the GOT homepage or on the LinkedIn channel.
Read more interviews with founders and managing directors of SMEs that were also supported by GOT here: https://greenoffshoretech.com/interviews/
These interviews are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to gather feedback from some of the winners on the impact the funding has had on their business lives.
We’re looking for cross-national responses, representing different nationalities, sectors of the blue economy and experiences, as well as all genders.
Thanks to the GOT team for this interview!
