OES participates in the IEA TCP Universal Meeting 2026

Posted 2026-06-12 in News

Representatives of Ocean Energy Systems participated in the sixth IEA Technology Collaboration Programme Universal Meeting, held on 8–9 June 2026 at the IEA Headquarters in Paris.

The meeting brought together representatives from across the IEA TCP network, CERT, Working Parties, National TCP Coordinators, the IEA Secretariat and Mission Innovation to discuss how international collaboration can better support energy technology innovation, policy development and the transition towards secure, sustainable and affordable energy systems.

Across the two days, participants exchanged views on the role of TCPs in the current energy environment, the robustness of the TCP network, communication and impact, cross-TCP coordination, evaluation approaches and opportunities for stronger collaboration with Mission Innovation. The meeting also provided an important opportunity to reflect on how TCP outputs can be better used by governments, industry and other stakeholders to inform research, innovation and investment decisions.

From the perspective of OES, the discussions were particularly relevant in highlighting the importance of long-term international collaboration for emerging energy technologies. Ocean energy has an important role to play in a diversified and resilient renewable energy system, with potential contributions to offshore renewable energy, predictable generation, island energy systems, system flexibility and sustainable ocean development.

OES contributes to this agenda by providing a trusted international platform for knowledge exchange on wave, tidal, OTEC, salinity gradient and other ocean energy technologies. Through its collaborative work, OES helps governments and stakeholders share lessons from national programmes, demonstration projects, test centres and research initiatives, while identifying common barriers, R&D needs and opportunities for cooperation.

The meeting also reinforced the need for TCPs to communicate their impact more clearly and to ensure that technical outputs are accessible and useful for policy-makers and other decision-makers. For OES, this means continuing to strengthen policy-relevant communication, disseminate evidence from its work, and support informed decision-making on the responsible development of ocean energy.

Key themes for OES emerging from the meeting included:

• positioning ocean energy within broader energy system discussions, including energy security, diversification, resilience and offshore renewables;
• strengthening the policy relevance and visibility of OES outputs;
• improving communication and dissemination to reach governments, industry and wider stakeholders;
• demonstrating impact through both quantitative indicators and qualitative evidence;
• exploring cross-TCP collaboration on topics such as offshore renewables, system flexibility, islands, environmental monitoring, standards and hybrid energy systems;
• reinforcing links with National TCP Coordinators, Working Parties and Mission Innovation.

The TCP Universal Meeting confirmed the continued value of the TCP model as a unique platform for international energy technology collaboration. For OES, it provided a valuable opportunity to exchange with other TCPs and the IEA Secretariat on how to strengthen cooperation, increase impact and support the responsible advancement of ocean energy technologies.