South East Technological University (SETU) will launch its inaugural European Maritime Week this October, with a series of events taking place across the region.
Exploring innovation, regional cooperation and the sustainable development of our maritime future, European Maritime Week aims to strengthen the resilience and inclusivity of our coastal communities.
Led by SETU Design Lecturer and Researcher Joy Rooney, the initiative is supported by colleagues from across SETU, EU-CONEXUS, the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, external stakeholder organisations and local community groups.
Under the theme ‘Understanding Our Past – Designing Our Future’, SETU European Maritime Week will bring together researchers, students, maritime and environmental organisations and local communities through a programme of research, public and community events.
The initiative will explore how lessons from Ireland’s maritime past can inform new approaches to sustainability, design, marine planning and the resilience of coastal communities.
Learning from the past to design the future
Joy Rooney said the South East’s rich maritime heritage provides an important starting point for considering how coastal communities can respond to future challenges.
“The South East has an extraordinary natural and cultural maritime heritage, and there is much we can learn from the ways coastal communities have lived and worked with the sea over generations.
“SETU European Maritime Week gives us an opportunity to bring that knowledge together with new thinking in design, sustainability and marine planning, and to explore how we can build a more resilient future for our coastal communities.”
The initiative examines coastal life from earliest settlements through medieval and more contemporary journeyman craft traditions and trade, while considering how indigenous knowledge is valued and contributes to innovative approaches to future planning.
It will also highlight the importance of collaboration between universities, communities and other stakeholders in responding to the challenges and opportunities facing coastal regions.
Events across Waterford and Wexford
The inaugural SETU European Maritime Week will feature a short series of events designed to engage researchers, students, schools and coastal communities.
The initiative also provides an opportunity to connect activity in the South East with wider conversations around sustainability, regional and cross-border cooperation, marine protection and future policymaking.
The programme of events commences on 15 October 2026 with the Marine Spatial Planning Challenge Workshop, facilitated by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) in collaboration with the SETU Sustainable Development Office.
Our marine environment connects our ecosystems, economies and communities, and how we understand and engage with this shared resource is critical to a sustainable future."
Dr David Ryan, SETU Associate Vice President Sustainability
A whole-of-university approach to sustainability
Dr David Ryan, Associate Vice President Sustainability, SETU, noted that “Our marine environment connects our ecosystems, economies and communities, and how we understand and engage with this shared resource is critical to a sustainable future. Through our Sustainability Strategy, SETU is adopting a whole-of-university approach to sustainable development across education, research, engagement and operations. European Maritime Week brings these ambitions into focus through a distinctly maritime lens, creating opportunities to learn from the past while embracing innovation, indigenous knowledge and ecosystem-based approaches to address the economic, environmental and social challenges facing our marine spaces and communities, while also identifying new opportunities for sustainable growth, collaboration, innovation and positive change.”
Events also include an intergenerational community event with Tramore Eco Group and local Sea Scout groups in County Waterford from 10am to 12 noon on Saturday, 17 October and an ecological workshop on Sunday, 18 October with a community and schools event in Kilmore Quay, County Wexford, from 10am to 2pm, involving SEAschool and local Sea Scout and Venture groups.
Connecting research and coastal communities
SETU European Maritime Week is being developed in collaboration with a range of partners and stakeholders and reflects SETU’s commitment to connecting research and innovation with the communities and region it serves.
EU CONEXUS alliance
The development of SETU European Maritime Week has been supported by Siobhan Rudden, EU-CONEXUS Institutional Project Manager at SETU, who has played a central role in bringing the initiative and its programme of events together. The organisers also gratefully acknowledge the support of EU-CONEXUS European University across the full series of events, helping to strengthen connections between local, regional and transnational communities.
As part of the programme, a dedicated EU-CONEXUS research event will take place on Thursday, 15 October, showcasing research by SETU faculty and colleagues from across the EU-CONEXUS Alliance. Researchers will share their work and findings in visual and spoken formats before taking part in a discussion focused on building connections and identifying opportunities for future research collaboration.
SETU is a member of EU-CONEXUS, a European University Alliance of nine universities collaborating to address global and local challenges under the theme of Smart Urban Coastal Sustainability.
The Maritime Week programme will conclude with a free public seminar, ‘The Decolonisation of Maritime Ireland – Reclaiming Indigenous Design’, at the Granville Hotel, Waterford, at 7pm on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.
Hosted by SETU’s Creativity and Culture Research Group (CCRG), in partnership with EU-CONEXUS, The National Museum of Ireland, The Design and Craft Council of Ireland, Waterford City and County Council, Waterford Chamber of Commerce, Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society and the Granville Hotel, the seminar will explore contemporary maritime challenges through the lens of learning from the past, reclaiming indigenous knowledge and design, and building coastal resilience.
Students explore the future of marine planning
SETU design students will also play an active role in the initiative.
Students on the Design (Visual Communication) programme in Waterford are undertaking a project linked to European Maritime Week and the Government’s Marine Spatial Planning Game.
The project will provide students with an opportunity to explore research informed maritime and marine planning themes through design, with their work to be exhibited at the conclusion of the project.
Community involvement will form an important part of the initiative, recognising the knowledge and experience that exists within coastal communities themselves.
Ann Cusack of Waterford Archaeological and Historical Society and the Granville Hotel welcomed the intergenerational approach.
She said, “It is welcome to see intergenerational inclusion in these coastal community events. The importance of highlighting our role as stewards of our maritime heritage and acknowledging the value of local knowledge, to our young entrepreneurs, researchers and local community members can’t be overstated. It is the key to growing a resilient and vibrant future.”
Admission to the public seminar on Wednesday, 21 October is free, but places are limited, and advance booking is required. To book your place, please click on the link here.
Main photo: courtesy of Lisa Walsh Photography, www.lwphotography.ie