Royal Navy Industry Engagement Seabed Warfare Seminar

The Royal Navy, in collaboration with SAAB, will host a Seabed Warfare seminar at Action Stations in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on 19 May 2022.

This workshop will be an opportunity for the Royal Navy to set out its Seabed Warfare Problem Set and describe the challenges the Royal Navy is seeking to solve in this area. Representatives from industry and academia will share their experience of current seabed operations and equipment and offer insights into the future of seabed operations in the commercial sector and where there may be potential for sharing ideas and best practice for transfer into the military environment.

The aim of the event is to begin a conversation on seabed capabilities and operations between academia, industry experts and representatives from the Royal Navy Underwater Battlespace Team. The presentations will NOT be sales pitches, but rather reflect the principles, challenges, concerns and examples of the respective individuals’ domain expertise. For this event all information shared and discussion will be at the official level only.

It is anticipated that this will be the first in a series of events as the Royal Navy seeks to invest in a range of seabed warfare sensors and effectors in the coming months and years. An outline of the day’s programme and discussion themes are listed below. There will be opportunities for attendees to network with each other and RN personnel, and time for questions and answers. Refreshments and a buffet lunch will be provided.

Rear Admiral James Parkin will welcome the participants before the Underwater Battlespace Team introduce the Royal Navy Seabed Warfare Problem Set and the Seabed Warfare Capability Roadmap. This should provide a focus for the follow-on presentations from a range of industry and academic colleagues, covering the history of seabed operations, seabed operations today, and the potential developments in future seabed operations. After lunch the seminar will focus on the separate elements of capability before closing the day with a final Question and Answer session.

There will be no charge for attendance at the seminar and attendees are expected to meet their own travel costs. The venue has a maximum capacity of 200 persons so all interested persons should register as soon as possible. Registration will close at midday Wed 4 May. If the seminar is over-subscribed we will prioritise attendance based on relevance to the underwater battlespace. We will seek to include as many different organisations as possible so we may need to impose a limit of one attendee per organisation. Additional detailed information and joining instructions will be sent out to successful applicants by Monday 11 May.

Saab are organising a dinner on the evening before the seminar, to be held at HMS Collingwood, Fareham, PO14 1AS. Those individuals who would like to attend the dinner on Wednesday 18 May should indicate their intention when they register. There will be a separate cost for the dinner of £45 per person paid to the organiser of the event. For the avoidance of doubt allocation of attendance for the day should it be oversubscribed will not be linked to those electing to attend the evening dinner.

For the avoidance of doubt:
Neither the seminar or dinner constitute any form of pre-qualification exercise. Any formal procurement process will be undertaken in accordance with the relevant Procurement Law. Nothing in the event or any other engagements with Industry prior to a formal procurement process, shall be construed as a representation as to the Authority’s ultimate decision in relation to any future requirement.

To register to attend please complete the sign up form here
If you have any questions about the event, please contact NAVYCOMRCL-MEPG(at)mod.gov.uk
Please do not contact individual RN personnel directly about the event