Background

With the presence of top-notch research institutions, large concentration of military (Navy and Marines) and affiliated labs, a major port and traditional maritime industry, and major cluster of marine technology companies, San Diego is recognized today as one of the leading maritime technology centers in the world. The Maritime Alliance (TMA) is organizing the maritime cluster in San Diego and reaching out internationally through a growing number of international relationships in Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the U.K. SD’s maritime presence on the national and international stage is bolstered by prestigious research institutions such as Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, National Polytechnic College of Science, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), SDSU Coastal Waters Laboratory, SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific, and, most recently, the J. Craig Venter Institute, a world leader in genomic research. The US Navy has long played a key role in San Diego’s economy – for example, it was the Navy’s need for constantly improving wireless communications that led to SD’s preeminence in telecommunications. The Navy has also played an enormous role in the development of the maritime industry – it was an early, strong, and on-going supporter of SIO, the maritime defense industry was attracted by the large Navy presence, and the non-defense maritime industry has benefited from the Navy presence, as well.

TMA has identified over 100 maritime technology companies and organizations, which are a fast growing part of the over 1,000 maritime related companies in the San Diego region. However, like in many places around the world, the San Diego maritime technology community has traditionally enjoyed little local visibility despite its importance. TMA organizes a number of events focused on maritime technology in the course of the year culminating in the Maritime Business & Technology Summit in the Fall as part of San Diego Maritime Week, which is supported by a broad array of organizations, to help raise the profile of participants and this important community.