Final Report Summary - VISIONS-OLYMPICS (VISIONS-OLYMPICS. The next generation products and procedures for Vessels and Floating Structures)
The concept of VISIONS-OLYMPICS, a Support project targeting call SST.2008.6.3 Encouraging step changes / radical technology changes in the surface transport sector focused on developing innovative maritime products incorporating knowledge, design and manufacturing procedures meeting future market needs and to evaluate their feasibility and analyse the needs for further research and development.
Many stakeholders participated to achieve the ambitious goal. Industry, universities, research institutions and organisations, collaborated for making the innovative ideas happen. The bridge between universities, industry and organisations has been reinforced and reconfirmed guaranteeing success.
In order to meet the primary objective of the call, supporting the development of transport specific innovations that could deliver step changes into efficiency and cleanness in the next 20 years and beyond, a systematic approach has been adopted using existing appropriate communication platforms and strategies within and outside the waterborne sector.
VISIONS-OLYMPICS took from the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation that:
- offered out of the box concepts and ideas for the future of European maritime transport;
- developed these ideas within an environment where purpose driven innovation is cultivated and performed in a risk free environment;
- built bridges and enhanced coordination between European Union (EU) research networks and strengthened the partnership between research universities and industry;
- enhanced the skills of future employees in a highly competitive environment;
- offered targeted dissemination to industry.
In terms of Facts, to VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests year 2010 and year 2011 have been participated more than 200 students and more than 50 new concepts of projects ideas have been submitted. Two books with the collection of the innovative ideas submitted for the contests have been published and disseminated. The two awards have been sponsored by two major European maritime industries IHC-Merwede and Meyer Werft. A third contest is ongoing while the fourth is now under preparation already. All together the VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests sum up to eight editions (dating back to the VISIONS-NoE project) establishing this students competition as the most known and best attended in Europe in the maritime sector.
Project context and objectives:
Building on the NoE VISIONS, the VISIONS-OLYMPICS project starts 1 September 2009 with the aim to increase the European competitive advantage by tapping into the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation.
It's worth to mention here the main lines and figures of the three loops.
Loop I
After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified as:
- Research area 1 (RA1): Transport challenges for offshore energy generation and conversion
- Research area 2 (RA2): Transport challenges for sustainable food generation from sea
- Research area 3 (RA3): Sustainable waterborne transportation
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by January 2010);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2010).
Results of the first submission round are:
- 136 students originally registered for the competition. The students are from 7 European countries plus 1 EU candidate country (Turkey);
- 10 universities participated in the competition;
- 32 ideas were registered. 27 of the abstracts were finally accepted;
- 22 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 31 May 2010.
Among those 22 projects ideas 6 were shortlisted for experts evaluations. Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony was on 16 June during the Second European Maritime Research and Innovation Policy Conference.
Loop II
The year 2011 contest has been launched and successfully carried out during the academic year 2010 / 2011. After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified by a panel of maritime experts as:
Research area 1 (RA1):
Safety and security: 100 % secure operations including:
a. improve safety utilising e-weather routing and avoiding collision, grounding, fire, capsizing, structural damage;
b. improving safety at sea.
Research area 2 (RA2):
Sustainable logistics: Reduce environmental impact improving logistics efficiency:
a. 100 % container utilisation using satellite technology aiming to transportation without empty containers;
b. improve environment while sailing;
c. reduce environmental impact increasing vessel-utilisation:
i. multipurpose ship
ii. flexibility regarding cargo
iii. ship without ballast
iv. incorporate upgradeability in ship design.
Research area 3 (RA3):
Green shipping: Improve energy efficiency by 80 % in operations
a. zero mission ship utilising smooth routing, JIT transportation, by learning from the best e.g. from car industry, adapting procedures and technologies for reducing emissions, friction less ship, and improving environment while operating utilising:
1. carbon capture
2. plastics capture
3. improving eutophic Baltic integrating treatment of ballast water;
b. satellite enabled trim optimisation for better performance
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by February 2011);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission (by April 2011).
Results of the first submission round are:
- about 70 students originally registered for the competition;
- 5 countries participated;
- 7 universities participated in the competition;
- 16 ideas were registered;
- 9 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 30 April 2011;
- building on the experts' analysis a high level jury of maritime personalities formed by 6 industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony took place during the TRA 2012 Conference, Athens April 2012.
Launching Loop III
In the meantime the project team started the process for the academic contest year 2011 / 2012 which at the time of writing on going on the following research areas:
Research area 1 (RA1):
Offshore installations for the marine industry: offshore shipbuilding products and ships for maintaining, supplying and servicing the offshore installation such as: offshore wind, aqua farming, underwater mining, garbage processing, leisure, etc.
Research area 2 (RA2):
Alternative products for the marine industry: alternative meaning substitution of conventional fossil fuels. In particular: alternative energy sources and converters, alternative energy storage, alternative energy management, energy efficiency.
Project results:
Building on the NoE VISIONS, the VISIONS-OLYMPICS project starts 1 September 2009 with the aim to increase the European competitive advantage by tapping into the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation.
It's worth to mention here the main lines and figures of the three loops.
Loop I
After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified as:
RA1: Transport challenges for offshore energy generation and conversion
RA2: Transport challenges for sustainable food generation from sea
RA3: Sustainable waterborne transportation.
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by January 2010);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2010).
Results of the first submission round are:
- 136 students originally registered for the competition. The students are from seven European countries plus one EU candidate country (Turkey);
- 10 universities participated in the competition;
- 32 ideas were registered. 27 of the abstracts were finally accepted;
- 22 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 31 May 2010.
Among those 22 projects ideas 6 were shortlisted for experts evaluations. Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony was on 16 June during the Second European Maritime Research and Innovation Policy Conference.
Major foreground and dissemination material for loop I
- VISIONS-OLYMPICS Book Year 1 - Contest 2009 / 2010
Loop II
The year 2011 contest has been launched and successfully carried out during the academic year 2010 / 2011. After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified by a panel of maritime experts as:
RA1:
Safety and security: 100 % secure operations including:
a. Improve safety utilising e-weather routing and avoiding collision, grounding, fire, capsizing, structural damage;
b. improving safety at sea.
RA2:
Sustainable logistics: Reduce environmental impact improving logistics efficiency:
a. 100 % container utilisation using satellite technology aiming to transportation without empty containers;
b. improve environment while sailing
c. reduce environmental impact increasing vessel-utilisation through multipurpose ship; flexibility regarding cargo; ship without ballast; incorporate upgradeability in ship design.
RA3:
Green shipping: Improve energy efficiency by 80 % in operations:
a. zero-emission ship utilising smooth routing, JIT transportation, by learning from the best e.g. from car industry, adapting procedures and technologies for reducing emissions, with frictionless ship and improving environment while operating utilising:
1. carbon capture
2. plastics capture
3. improve eutophic Baltic integrating treatment of ballast water;
b. satellite enabled trim optimisation for better performance.
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by February 2011);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2011).
Results of the first submission round are:
- about 70 students originally registered for the competition;
- 5 countries participated;
- 7 universities participated in the competition;
- 16 ideas were registered;
- 9 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 30 April 2011.
Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury of maritime personalities formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony took place during the TRA 2012 Conference, Athens April 2012.
Major foreground and dissemination material for loop II:
- VISIONS-OLYMPICS Book Year 1 ? Contest 2010/2011
Launching loop III
In the meantime the project team started the process for the academic contest year 2011 / 2012 which at the time of writing on going on the following research areas:
RA1:
Offshore installations for the marine industry: Offshore shipbuilding products and ships for maintaining, supplying and servicing the offshore installation such as offshore wind, aqua farming, underwater mining, garbage processing, leisure, etc.
RA2:
Alternative products for the marine industry: Alternative meaning substitution of conventional fossil fuels. In particular, alternative energy sources and converters, alternative energy storage, alternative energy management, energy efficiency.
Potential impact:
VISIONS-OLYMPICS has been the link in the broader maritime community, introducing a degree of competitiveness mobiliaing the larger university and broader industrial stakeholders, enabling of stronger links between industry and recent graduates from European universities as universities possess the fundamental skills and transferability / flexibility that research associations and industry lack.
In terms of facts, to VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests year 2010 and year 2011 have been participated more than 200 students and more than 50 new concepts of projects ideas have been submitted. Two books with the collection of the innovative ideas submitted for the contests have been published and disseminated. The two awards have been sponsored by two major European maritime industries, IHC-Merwede and Meyer Werft.
The added value for the European marine industry, universities and the European society can be identified considering that European universities run on public funds, their impact on society's welfare is imperative and any mechanism enhancing their impact has to be supported. The willingness of the European universities in marine technology and related sciences to see this coordination in place was demonstrated in this Support Action by the engagement of WEGEMT - an association of 41 universities involved with marine technology who all seek to further improve links between each other and with their natural customers, namely the marine technology and maritime industry, herein represented by their European associations CESA, and EMEC, and to commonly address the needs of the European marine industry for the successful implementation of the Waterborne 2020 Strategy.
VISIONS-OLYMPICS addressed the following issues:
- Supporting the development of transport specific innovations that could deliver step changes into efficiency and cleanness in the next 20 years and beyond.
- Stimulating the development of new breakthrough technologies and concepts for transport. New concepts and ideas will be investigated for radically new solutions and paradigm change in transport, in particular to address impact on climate change and energy dependency.
A side effect of VISIONS-OLYMPICS Coordination Action has provided skilled future employees to European maritime companies.
Education in naval architecture (all over Europe) is at a highest quality level, nevertheless maritime companies claim that naval architects starting their professional life are not experienced in themes like, self-organisation, project management, interdisciplinary, ability to work in a team etc. All the previous aspects have been addressed and successfully exploited by the young professionals during the contests loops of VISIONS-OLYMPICS.
Student contest participants had indeed the opportunity to demonstrate these skills, improving their curriculum vitae. The performance of a concept idea from ideas definition to the completion of concept description (including technical and economic feasibility, social and technological impact) within a group demonstrated that the participants are now able:
- to perform market oriented innovation;
- to work in a self organized group;
?- to manage the time and the deliverables; and
- to manage multidisciplinary.
The project's main added value has been its ability to contribute to both short-term and long-term needs of the European marine industry in RTD and technological innovation through innovative and out of the box thinking.
The VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests has been beneficial for the broader maritime industry (especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)) to develop new product ideas from scratch. The outcomes of the VISIONSOLYMPICS Coordination Action are likely to have important strategic benefit have also scope for transfer to other academic / industry sectors.
Companies and universities had the opportunity to collaborate and benefit from this. The participating organisations of this CA CESA, EMEC and WEGEMT have ensured constant dialogue between industry, universities and society in times in which is vital that the resources (particularly human resources) are available to help support the maritime industry.
As a Support Action, a main thrust of this project has been to develop strategies and activities which have improved the dissemination of innovative thinking which has encouraged entrants in engaging into the maritime field also through the active role of the industry via sponsorship of the VISIONS-OLYMPICS yearly awards
The project offered an innovative approach to multi-disciplinary coordination including key academic institutions, industry and organizations responsible for the promotion of maritime excellence ensuring that the appropriate emphasis on the research-oriented activities of the project received the appropriate uplift. VISIONS-OLYMPICS enabled an important advance in interdisciplinary maritime promotion in this respect.
The information generated by this project have been disseminated in five main ways:
- Through the website to be established for the project. The website will be the central focus of communication amongst the participants. It will have openly accessible areas as well as password protected areas for work in progress.
- Following a series of annual workshops, reports on activities will be edited under strict peer review procedures. The reports would include individual and collective articles.
- Through publications in maritime journals, particularly those of participating and related associations. These will be used to present the cutting edge achievements of the project.
- By targeted direct marketing activities within the industry (mainly the associated members of CESA and EMEC) where the new ideas and their evaluations will be distributed in order for them to be finally adopted by the industry.
- By publishing annual yearly publication s with all the new ideas generated. These publications will be open to the public and also target marketed to the industry.
Consortium participants contacts:
Willem Laros wl@cesa.eu;
Lanfranco Benedetti lb@cesa.eu
George Smyrnakis george.smyrnakis@newcastle.ac.uk
Robert Bronsart robert.bronsart@mbst.uni-rostock.de
Markus Lehne markus.lehne@balance-bremen.de
Douwe Cunningham dc@emec.eu
Project website: http://www.visions-olympics.eu/
Many stakeholders participated to achieve the ambitious goal. Industry, universities, research institutions and organisations, collaborated for making the innovative ideas happen. The bridge between universities, industry and organisations has been reinforced and reconfirmed guaranteeing success.
In order to meet the primary objective of the call, supporting the development of transport specific innovations that could deliver step changes into efficiency and cleanness in the next 20 years and beyond, a systematic approach has been adopted using existing appropriate communication platforms and strategies within and outside the waterborne sector.
VISIONS-OLYMPICS took from the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation that:
- offered out of the box concepts and ideas for the future of European maritime transport;
- developed these ideas within an environment where purpose driven innovation is cultivated and performed in a risk free environment;
- built bridges and enhanced coordination between European Union (EU) research networks and strengthened the partnership between research universities and industry;
- enhanced the skills of future employees in a highly competitive environment;
- offered targeted dissemination to industry.
In terms of Facts, to VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests year 2010 and year 2011 have been participated more than 200 students and more than 50 new concepts of projects ideas have been submitted. Two books with the collection of the innovative ideas submitted for the contests have been published and disseminated. The two awards have been sponsored by two major European maritime industries IHC-Merwede and Meyer Werft. A third contest is ongoing while the fourth is now under preparation already. All together the VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests sum up to eight editions (dating back to the VISIONS-NoE project) establishing this students competition as the most known and best attended in Europe in the maritime sector.
Project context and objectives:
Building on the NoE VISIONS, the VISIONS-OLYMPICS project starts 1 September 2009 with the aim to increase the European competitive advantage by tapping into the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation.
It's worth to mention here the main lines and figures of the three loops.
Loop I
After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified as:
- Research area 1 (RA1): Transport challenges for offshore energy generation and conversion
- Research area 2 (RA2): Transport challenges for sustainable food generation from sea
- Research area 3 (RA3): Sustainable waterborne transportation
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by January 2010);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2010).
Results of the first submission round are:
- 136 students originally registered for the competition. The students are from 7 European countries plus 1 EU candidate country (Turkey);
- 10 universities participated in the competition;
- 32 ideas were registered. 27 of the abstracts were finally accepted;
- 22 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 31 May 2010.
Among those 22 projects ideas 6 were shortlisted for experts evaluations. Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony was on 16 June during the Second European Maritime Research and Innovation Policy Conference.
Loop II
The year 2011 contest has been launched and successfully carried out during the academic year 2010 / 2011. After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified by a panel of maritime experts as:
Research area 1 (RA1):
Safety and security: 100 % secure operations including:
a. improve safety utilising e-weather routing and avoiding collision, grounding, fire, capsizing, structural damage;
b. improving safety at sea.
Research area 2 (RA2):
Sustainable logistics: Reduce environmental impact improving logistics efficiency:
a. 100 % container utilisation using satellite technology aiming to transportation without empty containers;
b. improve environment while sailing;
c. reduce environmental impact increasing vessel-utilisation:
i. multipurpose ship
ii. flexibility regarding cargo
iii. ship without ballast
iv. incorporate upgradeability in ship design.
Research area 3 (RA3):
Green shipping: Improve energy efficiency by 80 % in operations
a. zero mission ship utilising smooth routing, JIT transportation, by learning from the best e.g. from car industry, adapting procedures and technologies for reducing emissions, friction less ship, and improving environment while operating utilising:
1. carbon capture
2. plastics capture
3. improving eutophic Baltic integrating treatment of ballast water;
b. satellite enabled trim optimisation for better performance
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by February 2011);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission (by April 2011).
Results of the first submission round are:
- about 70 students originally registered for the competition;
- 5 countries participated;
- 7 universities participated in the competition;
- 16 ideas were registered;
- 9 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 30 April 2011;
- building on the experts' analysis a high level jury of maritime personalities formed by 6 industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony took place during the TRA 2012 Conference, Athens April 2012.
Launching Loop III
In the meantime the project team started the process for the academic contest year 2011 / 2012 which at the time of writing on going on the following research areas:
Research area 1 (RA1):
Offshore installations for the marine industry: offshore shipbuilding products and ships for maintaining, supplying and servicing the offshore installation such as: offshore wind, aqua farming, underwater mining, garbage processing, leisure, etc.
Research area 2 (RA2):
Alternative products for the marine industry: alternative meaning substitution of conventional fossil fuels. In particular: alternative energy sources and converters, alternative energy storage, alternative energy management, energy efficiency.
Project results:
Building on the NoE VISIONS, the VISIONS-OLYMPICS project starts 1 September 2009 with the aim to increase the European competitive advantage by tapping into the unspoiled / unbiased creative minds of the young generation.
It's worth to mention here the main lines and figures of the three loops.
Loop I
After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified as:
RA1: Transport challenges for offshore energy generation and conversion
RA2: Transport challenges for sustainable food generation from sea
RA3: Sustainable waterborne transportation.
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by January 2010);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2010).
Results of the first submission round are:
- 136 students originally registered for the competition. The students are from seven European countries plus one EU candidate country (Turkey);
- 10 universities participated in the competition;
- 32 ideas were registered. 27 of the abstracts were finally accepted;
- 22 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 31 May 2010.
Among those 22 projects ideas 6 were shortlisted for experts evaluations. Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony was on 16 June during the Second European Maritime Research and Innovation Policy Conference.
Major foreground and dissemination material for loop I
- VISIONS-OLYMPICS Book Year 1 - Contest 2009 / 2010
Loop II
The year 2011 contest has been launched and successfully carried out during the academic year 2010 / 2011. After an in depth analysis of the European market and technological situation three thematic areas have been identified by a panel of maritime experts as:
RA1:
Safety and security: 100 % secure operations including:
a. Improve safety utilising e-weather routing and avoiding collision, grounding, fire, capsizing, structural damage;
b. improving safety at sea.
RA2:
Sustainable logistics: Reduce environmental impact improving logistics efficiency:
a. 100 % container utilisation using satellite technology aiming to transportation without empty containers;
b. improve environment while sailing
c. reduce environmental impact increasing vessel-utilisation through multipurpose ship; flexibility regarding cargo; ship without ballast; incorporate upgradeability in ship design.
RA3:
Green shipping: Improve energy efficiency by 80 % in operations:
a. zero-emission ship utilising smooth routing, JIT transportation, by learning from the best e.g. from car industry, adapting procedures and technologies for reducing emissions, with frictionless ship and improving environment while operating utilising:
1. carbon capture
2. plastics capture
3. improve eutophic Baltic integrating treatment of ballast water;
b. satellite enabled trim optimisation for better performance.
On these three areas student teams have been called to submit their project ideas in two steps:
Step 1 - Abstract submission (by February 2011);
Step 2 - Full project idea submission(by April 2011).
Results of the first submission round are:
- about 70 students originally registered for the competition;
- 5 countries participated;
- 7 universities participated in the competition;
- 16 ideas were registered;
- 9 final projects were finally submitted by the time of the deadline which was 30 April 2011.
Building on the experts' analysis a high level jury of maritime personalities formed by six industrial and research representatives awarded the three winning ideas.
The award ceremony took place during the TRA 2012 Conference, Athens April 2012.
Major foreground and dissemination material for loop II:
- VISIONS-OLYMPICS Book Year 1 ? Contest 2010/2011
Launching loop III
In the meantime the project team started the process for the academic contest year 2011 / 2012 which at the time of writing on going on the following research areas:
RA1:
Offshore installations for the marine industry: Offshore shipbuilding products and ships for maintaining, supplying and servicing the offshore installation such as offshore wind, aqua farming, underwater mining, garbage processing, leisure, etc.
RA2:
Alternative products for the marine industry: Alternative meaning substitution of conventional fossil fuels. In particular, alternative energy sources and converters, alternative energy storage, alternative energy management, energy efficiency.
Potential impact:
VISIONS-OLYMPICS has been the link in the broader maritime community, introducing a degree of competitiveness mobiliaing the larger university and broader industrial stakeholders, enabling of stronger links between industry and recent graduates from European universities as universities possess the fundamental skills and transferability / flexibility that research associations and industry lack.
In terms of facts, to VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests year 2010 and year 2011 have been participated more than 200 students and more than 50 new concepts of projects ideas have been submitted. Two books with the collection of the innovative ideas submitted for the contests have been published and disseminated. The two awards have been sponsored by two major European maritime industries, IHC-Merwede and Meyer Werft.
The added value for the European marine industry, universities and the European society can be identified considering that European universities run on public funds, their impact on society's welfare is imperative and any mechanism enhancing their impact has to be supported. The willingness of the European universities in marine technology and related sciences to see this coordination in place was demonstrated in this Support Action by the engagement of WEGEMT - an association of 41 universities involved with marine technology who all seek to further improve links between each other and with their natural customers, namely the marine technology and maritime industry, herein represented by their European associations CESA, and EMEC, and to commonly address the needs of the European marine industry for the successful implementation of the Waterborne 2020 Strategy.
VISIONS-OLYMPICS addressed the following issues:
- Supporting the development of transport specific innovations that could deliver step changes into efficiency and cleanness in the next 20 years and beyond.
- Stimulating the development of new breakthrough technologies and concepts for transport. New concepts and ideas will be investigated for radically new solutions and paradigm change in transport, in particular to address impact on climate change and energy dependency.
A side effect of VISIONS-OLYMPICS Coordination Action has provided skilled future employees to European maritime companies.
Education in naval architecture (all over Europe) is at a highest quality level, nevertheless maritime companies claim that naval architects starting their professional life are not experienced in themes like, self-organisation, project management, interdisciplinary, ability to work in a team etc. All the previous aspects have been addressed and successfully exploited by the young professionals during the contests loops of VISIONS-OLYMPICS.
Student contest participants had indeed the opportunity to demonstrate these skills, improving their curriculum vitae. The performance of a concept idea from ideas definition to the completion of concept description (including technical and economic feasibility, social and technological impact) within a group demonstrated that the participants are now able:
- to perform market oriented innovation;
- to work in a self organized group;
?- to manage the time and the deliverables; and
- to manage multidisciplinary.
The project's main added value has been its ability to contribute to both short-term and long-term needs of the European marine industry in RTD and technological innovation through innovative and out of the box thinking.
The VISIONS-OLYMPICS contests has been beneficial for the broader maritime industry (especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)) to develop new product ideas from scratch. The outcomes of the VISIONSOLYMPICS Coordination Action are likely to have important strategic benefit have also scope for transfer to other academic / industry sectors.
Companies and universities had the opportunity to collaborate and benefit from this. The participating organisations of this CA CESA, EMEC and WEGEMT have ensured constant dialogue between industry, universities and society in times in which is vital that the resources (particularly human resources) are available to help support the maritime industry.
As a Support Action, a main thrust of this project has been to develop strategies and activities which have improved the dissemination of innovative thinking which has encouraged entrants in engaging into the maritime field also through the active role of the industry via sponsorship of the VISIONS-OLYMPICS yearly awards
The project offered an innovative approach to multi-disciplinary coordination including key academic institutions, industry and organizations responsible for the promotion of maritime excellence ensuring that the appropriate emphasis on the research-oriented activities of the project received the appropriate uplift. VISIONS-OLYMPICS enabled an important advance in interdisciplinary maritime promotion in this respect.
The information generated by this project have been disseminated in five main ways:
- Through the website to be established for the project. The website will be the central focus of communication amongst the participants. It will have openly accessible areas as well as password protected areas for work in progress.
- Following a series of annual workshops, reports on activities will be edited under strict peer review procedures. The reports would include individual and collective articles.
- Through publications in maritime journals, particularly those of participating and related associations. These will be used to present the cutting edge achievements of the project.
- By targeted direct marketing activities within the industry (mainly the associated members of CESA and EMEC) where the new ideas and their evaluations will be distributed in order for them to be finally adopted by the industry.
- By publishing annual yearly publication s with all the new ideas generated. These publications will be open to the public and also target marketed to the industry.
Consortium participants contacts:
Willem Laros wl@cesa.eu;
Lanfranco Benedetti lb@cesa.eu
George Smyrnakis george.smyrnakis@newcastle.ac.uk
Robert Bronsart robert.bronsart@mbst.uni-rostock.de
Markus Lehne markus.lehne@balance-bremen.de
Douwe Cunningham dc@emec.eu
Project website: http://www.visions-olympics.eu/