Winner of the 2026 Innovation Award: Dimeq AS

During the opening ceremony of Nor-Fishing 2026, the winner of the Nor-Fishing Foundation’s Innovation Award was announced. The winner aims to prevent the loss of lives at sea.

— We got an immediate reaction from people congratulating us and wanting to make contact. We already have an interview scheduled with Norwegian national news, says founder and CEO, Ronny Bakke.

As a fifth-generation seaman Bakke knows the importance of safety on board.

— We are pleased to see safety gets recognized – safety does not always come first – so its very satisfying for us to be recognized this way, says Bakke.

The Jury highlighted the high degree of innovation, strong industry relevance and a documented market potential in their official statement:

— Through a single technology platform, the company delivers solutions for large fishing vessels, aquaculture facilities, and smaller vessels in the coastal fishing fleet. The innovation integrates the entire safety chain—from detection and positioning to alerting and communication—in a way that is not available in today’s fragmented market.

See how the winners reacted after the award ceremony:

Real-time accident alerts

Wearable tech is at the heart of the safety solution: EyeD – a sensor-based wristband worn by the crew. It detects falls, automatically triggers a man-overboard alarm, and includes a panic button that can be activated manually. When an alarm is triggered, the wristbands give the captain real-time oversight of everyone’s location on board, with zone control and alerts if anyone is in a high-risk area.

An important differentiation from other safety systems is that the wristband is worn around the clock – including off-duty. Conventional safety systems typically cover only work situations, but accidents can happen just as easily during a crew member’s free time.

— My own experiences with emergencies at sea happened off duty. With EyeD on the wrist, you get an extra layer of safety on board, says Bakke.

He also stresses that the system is not used to monitor how the crew carry out their work. Positioning data is used solely for safety purposes – such as zone control and man-overboard detection – and is made available to the captain during emergency and high-risk situations.

Read more about the technology and the whole interview with Bakke from when we covered the nominees

The full statement from the jury:

The Nor-Fishing Innovation Award 2026 is awarded to Dimeq AS for the development of a maritime safety platform that addresses one of the most critical challenges facing the fishing industry: preventing loss of life at sea. 

The jury believes Dimeq stands out by combining a high degree of innovation with strong industry relevance and documented market potential. Through a single technology platform, the company delivers solutions for large fishing vessels, aquaculture facilities, and smaller vessels in the coastal fishing fleet. The innovation integrates the entire safety chain—from detection and positioning to alerting and communication—in a way that is not available in today’s fragmented market.

The solution directly addresses the industry’s need for improved safety and supports the Norwegian authorities’ zero-vision goal for fatalities in the fishing sector. At the same time, the technology has already been deployed and tested in real operational environments, demonstrating both execution capability and commercial potential.

The jury has placed particular emphasis on the innovation’s significant societal impact, its ability to reduce risk for fishermen and aquaculture workers, and its potential for international scaling. Dimeq represents an outstanding example of how Norwegian technology can contribute to a safer, more sustainable, and more competitive seafood industry.

The jury considers this to be the strongest candidate among this year’s applicants.

We congratulate Dimeq AS as the winner of this year’s Innovation Award!