On December 15, the consortium of the H2020 TWINNING project VENTuRE - a Virtual and physical ExperimeNtal Towing centre for the design of eneRgy Efficient sea-faring vessels - held its final steering committee before the EU-funded project came to an end last month.
Initiated in January 2020 with a budget of € 800,000, the three-year project VENTuRE strengthened both the theoretical and practical knowledge of the University of Malta within the maritime engineering field, specifically on the energy efficient design and testing of sea-faring vessels. Holding the lead coordinator role within the project, the University of Malta collaborated with long standing academic institutions in the maritime engineering academic field, namely the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow in the United Kingdom and the University of Genoa in Italy, together with the professional contribution of the Maltese SME Naval Architectural ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Ltd.
The project was coordinated by , , , and Dr Mitchell Borg from the , .
As the main objective of twinning projects is to strengthen a research field in a widening EU country via institutional networking across the EU, the VENTuRE project enabled intensive knowledge exchange particularly aimed at developing the numerical and experimental skills in maritime engineering in Malta. Twinning projects are highly competitive; with a 6% success rate. VENTuRE was one of the 37 successful proposals to be chosen from 456 applications. The project was put forward to be integral in developing the skill set required to design, build, and operate a state-of-the-art experimental maritime engineering towing tank, which is currently being constructed within the Sustainable Living Centre at the University of Malta.
In congruence with the EU Blue Growth long-term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors, the VENTuRE project brought together a consortium of experts in the area of energy-efficient ship design. The consortium partners applied a systemic and multidisciplinary approach, ensuring effective international collaboration, to integrate state-of-the-art virtual testing and advanced measurement techniques for towing tank experiments in the context of energy-efficient ship design. Principally, the project utilised International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) procedures and guidelines within the remit of experimentation and numerical modelling methodologies; VENTuRE endeavoured in disseminating the Maltese research work internationally.
Thus, the virtual and physical towing test centre shall foster the technical capacity of the University of Malta by facilitating knowledge transfer for the new generation of energy-efficient ships. Concurrently, the project strengthened and increased the research, innovation, and networking capacity of early-career researchers in the consortium by providing opportunities of high-quality learning and joint research through industry secondments and networking events. The project was discretised into workpackages (WPs) tackling the scientific and technological capacity and research profile enhancement of the University of Malta (WP2 & WP3), the development of students and academic researchers (WP4), and the communication, dissemination, and exploitation of the project (WP5).
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hindered the partners from being in physical contact during the first two years of the project. Despite the travel restrictions, the partners managed to collaborate through a digital communication framework.
At the University of Malta, the VENTuRE project aided in enhancing the scientific and technological knowledge capacity by organizing research-focused short specialist courses in the field of virtual and physical experimental towing tank testing. These courses were delivered by internationally-leading experts of the University of Strathclyde and University of Genoa, and members of the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) committees. Upon completion of the courses, academic staff and early-career researchers at the University of Malta benefitted from short-term staff visits to experience the research environment and collaborative research culture and practice at the partner universities, together with short-term staff visits to industrial partners in the field of virtual and physical towing tank testing. Technician and laboratory staff at the University of Malta were additionally aided throughout the short-term staff visits to provide hands-on experience and knowledge of state-of-the-art techniques in performing various data measurements and high-performance computer applications and practices at the partner universities.
In relation, the project partners made use of short-term expert visits to the University of Malta to aid in developing an action plan for the new facility, whilst enhancing the scientific and technological capacity of the academic staff and researchers. Furthermore, a framework for a taught joint MSc programme between the University of Malta and the University of Strathclyde was developed, together with a secondary framework for the development of the Horizon Europe Doctoral Networks (DN) - Standard Doctoral Networks and Joint Doctoral Networks. The programmes were supported and enriched by appointing mentors and academic supervisors from the twinning partners for student & academic exchanges from the University of Malta to the University of Strathclyde and University of Genoa.
Research groups were formed to further develop the research-related outputs of the universities, together with setting a foundation for future collaborative efforts. Three distinct research groups directed towards the design of energy-efficient vessels were established, namely: Resistance and Propulsion; Seakeeping and Manoeuvring; and Combined Computational Fluid Dynamics/ Experimental Fluid Dynamics. Online virtual conferences were launched between the member universities, where the invited speakers presented their research projects within the research group in the field of maritime engineering. Additionally, workshops were organised to discuss the design, installation, and operation of two testing facilities.
The project outputs were highlighted within public engagement events and networking events where relevant stakeholders, such as SMEs, NGOs, governmental bodies, local municipalities, and local media, were invited. The activities and findings of the project were presented to the stakeholders to increase the awareness and importance of the project. In light of the high-quality objectives driving the VENTuRE project forward, the consortium submitted evidence of its aims & outcomes, in relation to the Maltese maritime industry, in nomination for the ‘Horizon 2020 Awards’ announced by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). In proposition of rewarding Maltese beneficiaries for having participated in research and innovation projects within the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, the VENTuRE project was proudly awarded the ‘Blue Award’ for endeavouring in impacting and bettering the Maltese marine environment.
