Universities offer more than just bachelor programmes and degrees. They fuel innovative thinking and are often the starting point of new technologies and thought processes from which solutions emerge that have a significant impact on the relevant industry.
The universities listed below are some of the key ones involved in advanced maritime research, have strong maritime industry ties and are often associated with surrounding technology clusters. The universities also tend to offer PhDs and have a strong focus on funding research to support the maritime industry.
1. Chalmers University of Technology, Department of Mechanics and Maritime, Goteborg, Sweden. 
This Swedish university is involved in a wide range of projects and research initiatives and is linked to the Lindholmen Science Park that allows industry, academy and public sector to run research and development projects in transport, ICT and the media. A comprehensive test simulator for marine transport and navigation is based here to help develop sustainable transport and electric propulsion.
Chalmers is also connected to the Lighthouse project, which provides research and networking platforms to support maritime research and projects. The project serves to develop Sweden as a key player in sustainable shipping through innovation in logistics, navigation, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.
2. Southampton Solent University, UK. 
As well as offering a wide range of bachelors and masters maritime courses and PhD programs, the UK-based university is connected to a number of maritime projects and is heavily focussed on research in efficient and sustainable shipping.
The university has its own maritime, technology and environment research and innovation hub and has been heavily involved in research on safe shipping and maritime accidents in collaboration with industry players such as Helm.
Researchers at Southampton Solent University are linked to the GEM Project, which is an international research programme focussing on gender issues. It looks at seafarers’ isolation and welfare to help support women in the industry.
3. University of Southampton, UK 
Southampton University’s marine and maritime institute has a strong focus on the progression of science and technology to help advance the development of maritime technologies and improve environmental quality.
Along with Lloyd’s Register and QinetiQ, Southampton is a contributor to the Global Marine Technology Trends 2030 report that examines the transformative impact of eighteen technologies on ship design, on naval power and on the use of ocean space in 2030.
The university’s researchers are involved in projects that look at climate change and sea level rise and its impacts, how the natural ocean behaves and the human use of the sea.
Alongside the Institute of High Performance Computing, Southampton has opened a laboratory in Singapore that focuses on maritime and offshore engineering research and development. It aims to promote seamless scientific exchanges with researchers from other fields.
It also has a campus in Malaysia so that students from all over the world can train in maritime and engineering.
4. University of Tasmania, Australia.
This Australian university also serves as the nation’s national maritime centre with advanced research facilities. It has its own fleet of vessels and facilities such as one hundred metre long Towing Tank and Model Test Basin to model experiments and see how vessels perform in different conditions. These facilities are shared by defence organisations, government bodies and international industry partners as well as students and researchers.
A simulation centre and a Cavitation Laboratory are also used by the university to further their research and contribution into submerged structures and hulls to understand the process of how water flows around them and how bubbles are formed.
5. Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Denmark 
As a leading maritime nation, Denmark is also home to the Copenhagen Business School. The school has an advanced maritime research program that is funded by the Danish Maritime Fund and consists of seven PhD projects that are affiliated with partners in the maritime industry.
The business school has Business in Society platforms that gather researchers from different departments around central themes such as maritime business development, competitiveness and entrepreneurship and strengthen affiliations with the business community and public organisations. They also create research and education at a high academic level.
It also hosts academic initiatives, such as the Danish National Research Foundation centre, focused on financial frictions, and World Class Research Environments, to help portray the research the business school carries out.
Furthermore, CBS has strong ties with Blue Denmark. It aims to help research ways to use technologies in a practical way to make the industry more environmentally and energy efficient. According to CBS, research is focussed on how the right incentives can be used to encourage maritime companies to adopt and use the technologies.
6. The Centre for Maritime Studies, National University of Singapore 
The Centre for Maritime Studies is a research centre that is part of the national university that is linked to many projects and innovations, helping Singapore to improve its status as a large maritime city.
The university’s Faculty of Law is linked with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore through the joint development of the Centre for Maritime Law and MPA Professorship in Maritime Law, which serve to deepen the partnership between NUS Law, the Ministry of Law, and the MPA in boosting Singapore’s expertise in maritime law research and thought leadership.
The university and A*STAR have also opened the first R&D centre, the Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore, which already announced eight memorandums of understanding with various industry players. A deepwater ocean basin facility that will simulate harsh ocean environments to help develop innovative concepts such as intelligent floating platforms and ships, autonomous systems, marine robotics and subsea systems is due for completion in 2019.
7. The Singapore Maritime Institute, Singapore 
The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is a joint effort by the MPA, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Economic Development Board in partnership with local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and develops strategies and programmes related to the academic, policy and R&D aspects of the industry. Key focus areas of the SMI include sectors such as port, shipping, maritime services, offshore and marine engineering, subsea and downhole.
It fosters collaboration between local universities, polytechnics, research institutions and maritime industry stakeholders. SMI works towards attracting academics and researchers to Singapore, to train the next generation of those working in the maritime industry. It aims to increase the pool of maritime-trained students and professionals, and encourage the undertaking of more industry R&D projects in Singapore.
Now Singapore has set up the S $200m Maritime Innovation & Technology Fund to help develop programmes for the maritime technology cluster. It promotes R&D to help develop Singapore’s maritime cluster and identifies areas that need support.
8. Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Marine Technology, Norway 
The Department of Technology (IMT) specialises in researching methods and technical and operational solutions to for Norway’s biggest export industries including ship technology. European and national projects including ship design, ocean minerals, hybrid model testing, Arctic operations, and more.
Fathom-News
editor@fathom-mi.com
