On 19 December 2019, Aalto University and Meyer Turku Oy signed an agreement that will strengthen and develop multidisciplinary research and education collaboration as well as give a boost to expert co-operation, Meyer Turku says in a press release.
’We want Finland to be the leading country in maritime technology and science development in the world. At the same time, we are constantly looking to attract new talent to work for us and so need to be present at Aalto campus and in the academic lives of the students. The agreement is a very natural extension to the already good cooperation with Aalto University,’ Meyer Turku CEO Jan Meyer says.
’The combination of different fields and close multidisciplinary collaboration of Aalto University are an excellent foundation for innovation, generating new kinds of expertise for the maritime industry. This agreement forms another link in a long chain of co-operation between the Turku shipyard and our university, which brings together cutting-edge research, high-quality education and stakeholders from the marine technology sector,’ says President Ilkka Niemelä of Aalto University.
In practice, the agreement will increase multidisciplinary student projects, master’s and doctoral thesis projects as well as joint seminars and workshops. Meyer Turku’s career paths and marine technology employment opportunities will also be made visible at the Otaniemi campus.
Research collaboration will continue and expand in several areas, including materials research and steel structures, information and communications technology and digitalisation, hydrodynamics, ship safety, energy efficiency and solutions that support sustainable development.
Aalto University’s new MarineX project will be developed into a new research forum and collaboration platform for the maritime industry and marine technology, building on the university’s leading position in marine technology research.
Meyer is an excellent example of industrial growth in Southwest Finland and of the accordingly growing need for experts. Aalto University coordinates the network university FITech, which was founded in 2017 to help bring experts to growth sectors in Finland and to respond to emerging needs for expertise in the field of technology.