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The promotion of Centers of Excellence in higher education was institutionalized in the context of rewarding and supporting best practices of quality and innovation in education. According to the Ministry of Education, criteria for the promotion of Centers of Excellence are the outstanding quality and effectiveness of teaching and research work, the effective structure and organization of related curricula, the connection between teaching, research and the professional environment and high quality support services.

Main objectives of COE
Prof. Angelos Pantouvakis, President of the Department of Maritime Studies, University of Piraeus announced the foundation of the COE at the event “Circular and Green Economy” co-organized by the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry , the Attica and Piraeus Industries Association, the Municipality of Piraeus, the University of Piraeus.
The Center of Excellence in Shipping, aims to research, experiment, apply, standardize and monitor the latest developments in Shipping. The knowledge that the Center intends to transmit is not only theoretical as it is practical and aims to utilize the findings of the research conducted in such a way as to become a beneficial institution both in this field and in the country's economy in general .
Specifically, the main objectives of the Center of Excellence in Shipping are:
- To create a Global Center for Knowledge and Innovation, in order to support the strategic needs of Greek Shipping
- To focus on creating and promoting knowledge and innovation for current and future Shipping needs
- To link university research to professional practice within a framework of high demands
- To create a competitive edge for the whole Shipping Cluster.
- To activate, record and utilize the academic, professional and public dialogue in key pillars of Shipping
- To produce proposals and ideas around the current developments in the field of Shipping.
The above objectives will be served by the prized acquisitions of the Department of Maritime Studies in the technological field, such as the "autonomous ship" or the "equipment simulator" that will soon be in our possession.
Pillars
Center of Excellence is based on the following four pillars:
Strategy / Geopolitics, Human Resources (Soft skills), Technology / Informatics (Modeling & simulation), and Sustainability and Resilience.
It should be noted that the Center of Excellence is an open research structure, in the sense that additional thematic pillars and research teams will be able to participate in it with the aim of further enhancing knowledge, research, development and training in the thematic components of Shipping.
Target Audience
The results of the Center will be disseminated to a wider audience. Ethnic communities could benefit from the learning outcomes and related material produced by the Center of Excellence. Feedback mechanisms will be improved through various formal or informal communication channels that will be created. The interest of the scientific and professional-industrial community could be motivated to greatly support the goals of the Center of Excellence in Shipping.
Collaborations
The Center of Excellence in Shipping hails from and will have strategic cooperation with all shipping institutions such as:
- Τhe Maritime Cluster
- The Union of Greek Ship-owners (UGS)
- The Hellenic Chamber of Shipping (ΝΕΕ)
- The Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- The Hellenic Shortsea Ship-owners Association (HSSA)
- The Municipality of Piraeus
Including all public or private bodies, professionals and researchers involved in Shipping
One important goal of the Center for Excellence in Shipping is to work across borders with other Centers of Excellence and mainly through MARAD (Maritime Administration) to achieve certification by the United States Department of Transportation.
The COE will also cooperate with classification societies as well as with Universities, think tanks, multinational companies and public bodies in Greece and abroad.
International COEs
Maritime Centers of Excellence have already been set up in Singapore and Norway.
In Singapore, the Centre of Excellence in Modelling and Simulation for Next Generation Ports (C4NGP) supports maritime and port industries to develop innovative capabilities and enhance global competitiveness. C4NGP aims to be a global leading research center in modelling and simulation, and optimization of next-generation ports and maritime systems. While the Maritime Energy & Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD) has the mission to deepen maritime R&D capability with the focus on green port and shipping, to develop innovative and sustainable solutions. The Centre of Excellence in Maritime Safety (CEMS) focuses on improving the safety of maritime navigation and operations onboard vessels. The evolving technological increased level of automation and human machine interface, coupled with the rising interest in artificial intelligence and autonomous shipping, fuels the need for relevant research.
In Norway, the Center for Autonomous Marine Operations & Systems focuses on developing intelligent ships and ocean structures, autonomous unmanned vehicles (under water, on the surface and in air) and robots for high-precision and safety-critical operations in extreme environments. NTNU AMOS collaborates with the industry and cooperates with a number of companies and research institutes.

 

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