The maritime city of Brest sets the international standard for oceanographic research and marine technology and is headquarters of the Pôle Mer Bretagne, a globally focused maritime cluster of excellence and economic competitiveness.

Sea Tech Week is held every two years in Brest and brings together over a thousand conference-goers, scientists, industrialists and world specialists from a variety of disciplines. The event provides a multidisciplinary forum based around top-level conferences and workshops.

The foremost themes for the sixth such event are – renewable marine energy, maritime safety, operational oceanography, maritime law, governance and economics, marine surveillance and marine technology and biotechnology.