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Les honneurs et les mercis out déjà été proclamés pour celà je commence directement: Chère Mme Meisner, ladies and gentlemen,
I return now from the southern parts of Europe to the higher north.
Schleswig-Holstein embraced by seas – those are the words a poet wrote, describing
our country about 150 years ago. A romantic phrase at that time – today the up-todate
slogan “Schleswig-Holstein Land between the Seas” stirs quite different associations.

Of course we think of traditional – but not outdated - means to exploit the seas, i.e. fishing, shipping, shipbuilding, and tourism. But we also mean recent development of
marine research, climate research, exploitation of other maritime resources, and research for the exploitation of these resources. It is convenient that in Schleswig-
Holstein all these issues are reality. Reality being subject to continuous change, reality requesting to be defended again and again.
The European Parliament and the European Council stated the three following
priorities for the future maritime policy
· Blue Economy
· Innovation-driven economic growth
· Marine environmental protection

And I wish to explain their realisation in Schleswig-Holstein. In behalf of this background two questions have to be answered:
· How important is each of these issues for the economic and social development in Europe and the region of Schleswig-Holstein?
· Which innovation enables us to successful life with and from the sea and how can Schleswig-Holstein contribute to economic and scientific development in Europe?

Dear ladies and gentlemen,
Shipbuilding has for a long time been the backbone of the industrial and economic development in this region. For nearly one century shipyards have been the main industrial branch in Schleswig-Holstein. It is well-known to what extent this industry has been changed and is still changing. Those enterprises will only manage to survive when they are able to develop new innovative ideas and place them in the market.

This example is as well true for shipping with all the different tasks. The question here is not only to contribute innovative ideas regarding transport, shipping routes, or
harbours, or even when exploiting the sea, but to meet the challenge for the future and to shape this future. Research and development according to the value added
chain is one possibility to exploit and at the same time to protect the sea in order to preserve it for fishing and tourism. Schleswig-Holstein government’s policy aims to integrate all different possibilities of sea exploitation. Our initiative “Sea our Future” is the Good-Governance-approach to design the maritime future of Schleswig-Holstein. With the lead partner, the Ministry of Science, Economy, and Transport state secretaries of 4 ministries established a task force defining priority of themes.

In 2012 “Sea our future” will proceed emphasising the following: Continue in developing the maritime action plan
· Preparing the 8th National Maritime Conference taking place in 2013 in Kiel headed by the German Chancellor and organized by one federal state, thus time Schleswig-Holstein
· Development of the Maritime Cluster “Northern Germany” (MCN) that was initiated in Schleswig-Holstein and spread over three regions meanwhile. The maritime action plan includes 10 main topics of Schleswig-Holstein government’s policy.

Particularly included are
· Development of maritime key technologies
· Maritime scientific and industrial research
· Environmentally focused and sustainable exploitation of the seas
· Protection of coastal lines and of people living there
· Creating employment and career opportunities in maritime surrounding
· Strengthening of national and European collaboration
Additionally tourism at and on the sea is an important key economy in Schleswig-Holstein.

Dear ladies and gentlemen,
During the last year the application of technological innovations for the exploitation and utilization of resources for the benefit of the society has developed into an important economical pillar. Following this line, Schleswig-Holstein especially supports projects being concerned with technological developments, for example aquaculture. Schleswig-Holstein tends to establish a national competence Centre for aquaculture, called GMA. Partners are Universities, our well known Institute GEOMAR and - in the frame of Public private Partnership – several North-German enterprises. This Centre controls several projects being funded by the Schleswig-Holstein government and the European Regional Development Fund amounting to a total sum of € 7.7 mio. Those projects are focused on marine aquaculture systemic research.

The GMA operates in a North Sea closed system for aquacultural fish-breeding. A close network between economy and science is tied by the manager of the GMA who as well is professor for Marine Aquaculture at Kiel University. Another project demonstrating collaboration of economy and science is ”Submariner”: “Sustainable Uses of Baltic Marine Resources”. 19 partners from eight countries are being funded by the Baltic sea region programme with € 3.6 mio. until the end of 2013. This project aims at demonstrating
sustainability of economic acting in the Baltic Sea and its coastal lines. This includes evaluations and local flagship projects, i.e. breeding of algeas and mussels.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, Schleswig-Holstein is base of outstanding scientific maritime institutions:
· Christian-Albrechts-Universität (CAU), Kiel, with its faculty of marine Science
· Helmholtz-Centre GEOMAR, Kiel, with its large research concerning the blue ocean and the climate
· Helmholtz-Centre Geesthacht with its climate and coastal research
· two divisions of the Bremerhaven Alfred-Wegner-Institute for Polar and Maritime Science work on ecological questions of islands
· last but not least Fraunhofer-Institue for Marine Biotechnology in Lübeck; it concentrates besides others on questions regarding aquaculture technology and here overall: multitrophic aquaculture plant.
· Furtheron the Institute is outstanding in industrial cell-technology, which is very important for food industry and medical matters.

The significance of marine research in Schleswig-Holstein is strengthened by the excellence cluster “Future Ocean”. It is a project of CAU with different faculties, two research institutes and a University of Arts working on interdisciplinary questions regarding resources, climate change mitigation, economy and ecology of seas and last but not least deals with legal aspects. Mrs. Professorin Rehdanz from Kiel Institute for the World Economy will later on speak and enable you to judge about quality and significance of this research.

You see: Research in Schleswig-Holstein focuses on the significant questions the EU has defined; Blue economy / Innovation drive economic growth / Marine environmental protection. The link between research, innovation and economy is at key when it comes to Blue growth. Many technological developments in the fields of Ship-building, shipping logistics,
wind energy are fostered at Universities of Applied Science. Their close contacts with local enterprises research in Schleswig-Holstein offers important advantages regarding technological developments and innovations.

Schleswig-Holstein is proud for having research institutes working internationally on a high level. But we are well aware that strong efforts are necessary to keep ones position. Additionally close international networks aiming at researching important challenges of the society are indispensable. No non-university institute or each university on its own will be able to manage the future challenges, this will only work in collaboration with other important institutes and universities.

Ladies and gentlemen,
the European Institute of Technology and Innovation – EIT – offers a mutual platform within the EU to work on the important challenges for Europe. It therefore is a logical conclusion to make the EIT a part of “Horizon 2020”. As this stage of preparing and discussing the program “Horizon2020”, the installation of 10 new Knowledge and Innovation Communities – or as we abbreviate: KICs is under discussion.

European scientists developed the idea to install a KIC Maritime Science and Economic. The consortium of German Maritime Research Institutes (KDM) has followed this proposal and pursues preparation work for realisation. Of course this strategy is competing with many other ideas and initiatives. Therefore scientific results and innovations, also coming from Schleswig-Holstein – as I tryed to show you – may be of importance for Europe because of its long coastal lines. The European coastal regions are economically depending on exploitation of the sea. Therefore the scientifical work on the challenges along the innovation chains is of utmost importance for most of them.

The government of Schleswig-Holstein therefore supports the activities of KDM and all other partners and enterprises in order to establish a KIC for maritime research. The Committee of the Regions supported the idea of a maritime KIC in its Opinion in early 2011. Against this background, I welcome the proposal “Horizon 2020” of the European Commission very much. In particular I am happy with the Annex II in which 150 million € have been reserved, amongst others, for marine and maritime research in connection with the EIT.

I should be glad if this meeting is not only a forum for discussions about themes regarding the seas but as well generates results in purposeful action to install such a maritime KIC.
Wishing you a fruitful discussion leading to the realisation of this plan.