This document summarizes a presentation about floating technology and experiences with the EurekaBuild collaboration. It discusses the business case for floating structures in applications like flood protection in Rotterdam, greenhouses, infrastructure, and the Maldives. Technological objectives include increasing buoyancy and stiffness while reducing costs. The FLOATEC process aims to create lightweight, modular floating structures adapted to business needs. While EurekaBuild provided a vehicle for collaboration, differences in partner interests and commitments as well as less structured processes were challenges. Recommendations include cultivating strategic alignment among partners and better process management.

1. FLOATEC - EUREKABUILD
Sebastiaan van Herk
s.v.herk@duravermeer.nl
Partners:
Supported by:

2. What I will tell you today:
Business of floating technology
Approach in EU collaboration
Experiences with EurekaBuild

4. Who sees business?

5. Business Case Rotterdam

6. Business Case Greenhouse

7. Business Case Infrastructure

8. Business Case Maldives

9. Floatec Context
Source ECTP (Bourdeau, Maas)
¨Risks: flooding…
• 100 major damaging floods between 1998
and 2004
• 700 deaths in Europe and half a million
people displaced since 1998
• Protection and repair of damage costs € 40
billion each year. Planned to increase up to
€100 billion in coming years¨

10. Technological Objectives
• Increase buoyancy, whilst reducing material
need and cost to produce floating structure
• Increase stiffness, durability and peakload
resistance of floating structure
• Increase flexibility of shape for specified
applications and flexibility for production
processes, e.g.: modular, thinner, mouldable,
detachable.
Thus:
• LIGHTWEIGHT
• MODULAR

11. Applications

12. FLOATEC process
Creation: structured with human touch
Progress: adaptive towards business
environment
- Financial crisis -> delay
- Business case -> re-scoping & acceleration
Outcome instead of Output:
• Business cases
• EU RTD portfolio: Floodprobe, BEEM-UP,
Re-Model, etc.

13. EUREKABUILD: PROs & CONs
?

14. Hitchhiking vs Trainride
+ Vehicle for collaboration, not bag of subsidy
money
+ Shared interest partners & programme:
flexible, empathic programme reps that allow
more business focus RTD. ‘carrots’
- Different interests & commitments: Dura
Vermeer with Min. EZ (NL) and Acciona with
CDTI (ES)
- Less structured, less ‘sticks’
- 3 proposals

15. Recommendations EB
Cultivate Individual & Joint strategic interest:
e.g. towards business cases.
Process management to:
(a) Align application process
(b) Stimulate progress in ‘slow’ times
(c) Seize opportunities to create ‘acceleration’

16. Thank You / Moltes gràcies
Sebastiaan van Herk
s.v.herk@duravermeer.nl