Maritime Institute Willem Barentsz (MIWB), the HZ University of Applied Sciences, Hogeschool van Amsterdam and Rotterdam Mainport Institute/Hogeschool Rotterdam have joined forces to establish a platform for maritime applied research. This platform will intensify cooperation and strengthen maritime research through knowledge and capacity sharing.
This not only gives an extra impulse to the further development of knowledge for the sector, but also makes a valuable contribution to keeping education up to date.
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Mass and synergy
In addition to providing education, the maritime colleges conduct research. This takes place in research groups in which professors work together with teacher-researchers and students on practice-based research. The new cooperation creates more mass and synergy for maritime research. It also offers each institution the opportunity to focus on and specialise in specific fields.
Lecturers from the four universities of applied sciences coordinate current and new research within the platform. The knowledge available in cross-over fields such as big data and security is also taken into account. Within the platform, the colleges will actively seek cooperation with research groups at TU Delft, Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) and other universities and research institutions. A link will also be made with the colleges that are involved in research in the maritime domain within maritime secondary vocational education (MBO).
Practice-based research
The maritime universities of applied sciences expect the platform to be an important step in strengthening the visibility and involvement of maritime education in the maritime research domain. Maritime education can make a valuable contribution to important themes for the maritime sector, such as energy transition, safety, blue growth, digitalisation and autonomous sailing, through practice-based research. The knowledge developed in this way is then directly available for education. As a result, students in maritime education are already dealing with important future challenges for the sector, both through research and within their curriculum.
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Picture by MaxPixel.
