Statement

MariFuture is a partnership of maritime education institutions, industrial stakeholders, and decision makers from across Europe. MariFuture’s vision is to improve the standards and meet the industry needs through innovation in education and training as well as in research and development. This is achieved by:

  • facilitating synergy between stakeholders in the maritime industry through the creation of new collaborative partnerships
  • identifying the education and training requirements of the sector through extensive research and consultation involving stakeholders from all areas of the maritime transport sector
  • encouraging the development of novel and innovative technology and methodologies which make full use of knowledge collated within partnerships

With increasing competition from eastern nations such as Japan and Korea, MariFuture believes that it is now more important than ever to harmonise the efforts of industrial, educational, and governmental maritime organisations across Europe in order to safeguard the wellbeing and competitiveness of our industry. Through the creation of collaborative partnerships involving universities, research centres, businesses, and stakeholders from all areas of the maritime transport sector, MariFuture works to ensure that all maritime industrial sectors (such as ship operators, ship builders, and support industries) are properly represented.

MariFuture's network of organisations has a wealth of experience in EU funded research and development in maritime education and training (MET). MariFuture aims to promote innovation in MET, underpinned by appropriate research and development activities, and provide a platform from which concerns and interests regarding education and training in the European maritime industry can be communicated and acted upon.

The extensive knowledge base generated by partnerships working on projects within the MariFuture platform has and is expected to be shared with the awarding, accrediting, and licensing bodies as well as the policy decision makers in governments and in the European Union. The European Union has supported a number of MariFuture’s initiatives and research, and it is hoped that with their support MariFuture can continue to address the needs of education within the maritime industry, and in turn become a key contact point for the EU regarding maritime issues.

MariFuture is about much more than academia within the maritime industry. As well as having strong ties with industrial bodies and large universities, MariFuture also has the support of many language schools and other smaller organisations whose voices are often left unheard. MariFuture is at the forefront of some very exciting research and developments in its field. As a collective group, MariFuture provides a platform from which the smaller organisations within industry can be heard in academia and in the EU. By providing a platform for these voices to be heard, valuable ideas and contributions can be harnessed and transformed into strategies which will give Europe a new competitive edge in the global shipping market.

The MariFuture platform currently includes over fifty active member organisations, many of which are actively involved in many European and EU funded projects such as SOS, MarTEL, EGMDSS, SURPASS, and MAIDER, and EBDIG. Projects and initiatives developed by partnerships within the MariFuture platform have been presented to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and other important government and industrial bodies.

Several new EU funded projects have recently commenced (MarTEL Plus, CAPTAINS, UniMET, SAIL AHEAD). More information about these projects is available on this website.

MariFuture is primarily involved in developing partnerships which work to identify the education and training needs of the maritime industries (what is termed water transportation by the EU) and respond to these needs by initiating new research and innovative development.