MarinTech: Romanian - Norwegian strategic cooperation in maritime higher education for enhancement human capital and knowledge base in field of marine intelligent technologies (2021-2023)

Project Partners

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
Naval Academy "Mircea cel Batran" (MBNA), Romania

Project Description

The "MARINTECH" project will strengthen the partnership in the marine engineering field and interdisciplinary programs, between the Naval Academy "Mircea cel Batran" (MBNA) and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

The maritime industry is deeply rooted in the economy and national traditions of both Norway and Romania. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest from economic operators in the development and use of new Intelligent technologies for high-difficulty maritime operations. Maritime operations depend on the interaction between technology, human factors, and business. The SWOT analysis identified two challenges, as a priority, for improving the technological level and the productivity of the maritime industry. The first issue is the development and implementation of intelligent technologies (autonomous and automated) in order to operate in dynamic and complex marine environments. The second problem facing the maritime industry is the lack of qualified staff to serve these technologies.

There are other areas fields that use these technologies as, port industry, the marine resource exploitation industry, bio marine research, defense system, etc., which need trained personnel to use them. The MARINTECH project is based on the identified needs during the discussions with representatives from the maritime industry, meeting labor market needs for training staff in the new and intelligent technologies of the maritime industry field, and SWOT analysis. The aim is to improve human capital in the field of marine intelligent technologies by improving skills and competencies of students and staff in Higher Education (HE), facilitating learning mobility of students and staff between BS and DS, strengthening institutional cooperation of both HE partners based on common identified needs.

Objectives

The general objectives of the project to achieve these directions of action are:

Supporting the development of human capital (students, academic staff) in both universities with a strong interdisciplinary component on marine intelligent technologies
Modernization of partner universities
Ensuring a closer relationship between the educational offer and the labor market

The courses developed in the project are multidisciplinary, jointly certified, with ECTS credits, recognized in both universities. These are free available on VTP to be transferred to all interested HE institutions or any stakeholders. The target group is represented by the students from the 2nd cycle of studies (master), from the two partner universities, as well as the staff who carry out activities in the field of the project from these universities.

In order to professionally develop human capital in the field of marine intelligent technologies (academic staff, students), will be jointly organized summer schools, short-term student mobilities, and short-term staff training events, with the participation of specialists in the field.

The modernization of universities is achieved by improving teaching/learning and assessment methods in the virtual environment, by developing a common curriculum for implementing a course module for students of both universities, in the field of marine intelligent technologies, through exchanges of experience in the field, the common use of facilities of each partner. The project will also develop a virtual platform (VTP), as an open-source and e-campus for the implementation of mutual learning activities, exchange of academic knowledge, experience, and good practices in the field of marine intelligent technologies, supporting the exchange of staff and students, enabling employers to access to project activities, thus encouraging the involvement of students in activities that allow direct contact with economic partners in solving concrete problems.

The promotion and dissemination of project results will be done through the project website and the universities' own website, VTP, a joint publication of scientific articles, and conducting joint awareness events (workshops) with potential employers on the labor market, through interviews and articles in the local and national media in the two countries, as well as through promotional materials at events organized by universities on various occasions.

The project objectives are achieved by acquiring skills and practical abilities in the field of marine intelligent technologies for both students and academic staff of both partner universities, which will facilitate students' access to the labor market and direct contact between them and economic partners. Another impact of the project is the strengthening of cooperation between the two universities in order to modernize them. The intellectual results developed through the project could be shared as a pilot module with other interested universities.

C4: Short-term mobility of students - Bathymetry and oceanography (12-16 June, 2023)

NTNU students will visit MBNA at Constanta, Romania. During the short-term mobility organized at MBNA, NTNU students and MBNA students will continue the study of "Intelligent technologies applications in maritime industry". The aim of these mobilities is to facilitate to the target group to acquire practical skills and new professional knowledge in the field of marine intelligent technologies, using the technique and equipment from the organizing university. These new skills and competencies will add value to the education basement of students, thus facilitating their access to the labour market.

During the physical mobilities, the students will participate together with the students of the organizing university in the courses and the organized laboratories. By participating in these teaching activities, visiting students will benefit from the teaching infrastructure of the host university, as well as innovative teaching methods in a multinational environment, to obtain new perspectives on the topics addressed.

C6: Summer school at MBNA (17-21 June, 2023)

The second summer school will be organized by MBNA in Constanta, Romania. The purpose of summer school is:

to develop and improve innovative learning/teaching practices and tools using VTP online educational platforms and to improve distance learning methods for students and teachers in the marine intelligent technologies area, etc.
to allow students and teachers to work together in multinational and multidisciplinary groups;
to allow exchanges of experiences and good practices on teaching methods, content, and new curricular approaches between academic staff.

The summer school will have 5 days duration, 30 participants, of which 20 students from partner universities (10 students from each university) and 10 academic staff from partner universities (5 from each university). The target group of the academic staff consists of professors and specialists from higher education institutions participating in the project.