Due to the globalisation of the maritime industry it is evident that training and education of students is less isolated to particular regions. As a result many students who begin study in one region often end up working in another region. This complicates matters when further studies are required. Students need to return to their original institution of study due to recognition and possible language restrictions. Therefore the NMU and SAMK after a number of meetings and visits decided to begin a partnership to develop the maritime qualifications and staff and student exchange. SAMK identified the Erasmus+ programme as an opportunity to incorporate other leading institutions in the maritime training sector from Europe and South Africa. All the EURO-ZA partners have a long history in maritime education with some European partners over 100 years. Therefore this is an opportunity to conduct a detailed analysis of the curriculums and facilities to truly evaluate any similarities, differences and opportunity for improvement for both the South African and European partners. It is noted that the NMU is only starting maritime education but has been involved in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Civil and Mechatronics) for decades. This programme will conduct an extensive evaluation of all six maritime curriculla. Comparison of these curriculla will lead to an understanding of similarities and differences. Out of this a comprehensive understanding can be established as to what the strengths and weaknesses are in each institution's curriculum. Included in the study a detailed evaluation will also be conducted on the different pedagogical processes as well as facilities.The result will enable a possible alignment of qualifications allowing knowledge sharing, student, staff and research exchange ultimately recognising a global standard and an improved product to industry.

Most professionals involved in the design and building construction sector state, that the age of sustainable high-rise timber buildings has started. They agree that timber is an ideal material when grown in sustainably managed forests. It is being used more and more extensively in the building and construction industry. This movement regarding the construction of high-rise timber buildings is transnational and is being implemented in the EU and worldwide, for example in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA. However, education in high-rise timber construction is still very limited, especially in Europe. Most HEIs in the EU, that have technical degrees in design, construction and materials for high-rise buildings have curricular implementing the studies of concrete and steel, being prefabricated or manufactured on site. Normally, education in construction from timber focuses on 1 to 2 storey timber buildings (one family houses, etc.). However, architects and engineering companies are already working on sustainable high-rise timber buildings of up to 16 stories high. Thus, there is an urgent need to educate students with innovative applied skills needed in this area at an undergraduate degree level.The wider objective of this project was to develop a trans-disciplinary and transnational course/ elective element in the EU HEIs in the design, construction and management of sustainable high-rise timber buildings in order to enhance the quality and relevance of students’ knowledge and skills for future labour market needs. The project was implemented by five higher education institutions from Denmark, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Estonia and Lithuanian Study and Consulting Center together with Estonian Woodhouse Association.The specific objectives of the project were:1) To strategically research at which level the sustainable design, construction and management of high-rise timber buildings are to be planned and implemented in the partner countries.2) To educate all participants (students, teachers, entrepreneurs) in the field of the sustainability and the emerging global problems. 3) To develop and implement the new strategic trans-disciplinary module/elective element, which meets the needs of the HEIs and market representatives, fulfils the future challenges of sustainable design and construction of high-rise timber buildings.4) To improve competencies of students and teachers in problem solving and team work, innovative thinking, motivation, awareness of cross-professional project input and project management by using project-based learning approach.5) To ensure open awareness of the project results to local, national, EU level and international target groups.Working in international in trans-disciplinary groups, participants increased their knowledge, motivation and obtained a wider view of today’s rapidly growing environmental problems, faced in our planet, for example green-house gas emissions, carbon and ecological foot printing, as a background to explain why the use of sustainable timber in high-rise buildings and construction is important for the future world-wide construction industry.35 teachers from five universities have enhanced competences on innovative module development and teaching strategies, by taking part in intensive trainings, workshops, development of intellectual outputs. They have learnt about the most challenging issues in design, construction and management of sustainable high-rise timber buildings and are using their knowledge and skills in daily education and research activities.The new module was jointly developed by academic staff and business enterprises. The module was integrated into the existing study programmes, thus undergraduate students have direct access to outcomes of the project. 82 students participated in intensive short-time mobility periods and worked together on real projects. Students gained innovative knowledge on HiTimber issues, moreover, by project-based learning they improved their skills in critical thinking, problem solving, group working, negotiation, reaching consensus, taking responsibility for their own learning and social participation. Thus, HEIs have opportunity to educate new professionals, who will be able to apply their knowledge and contribute to the design, construction and management of high-rise timber buildings in labour market. Stakeholders, e.g. public authorities, professional associations, building entrepreneurial associations and private companies were in-depth involved in the process of definition of the new professional profile, development of the new module and teaching materials.By sharing innovative knowledge to all target groups the HiTimber project contributed to the extension of knowledge in the HEIs and building industry by disseminating idea of sustainable buildings constructed in timber to give an overall European context in the sustainable and construction sector.

"The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs) are a set of rules to avoid collisions at sea. However, a study undertaken by Ziarati et al (2008) and later Acar et al (2011) showed that almost 50% of seafarers disregard or ignore the COLREGs at sea. This is supported by recent Mariners' Alerting and Reporting Scheme (MARS) and Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) case law, which indicates that many of the principles of collision avoidance are improperly applied, particularly relating to more complex rules or more complex real-life situations (Ziarati et al, 2015).Collisions remain a major source of accidents at sea resulting in serious injuries and loss of life and property. European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) 2014 Accident Review found that between 2011-2013 in the category of 'accidents with a ship', collisions were the second leading cause of accidents resulting in serious injuries. It was accepted that there will be no changes to the COLREGs in the short to medium future when the International Maritime Lecturers’ Association made its position supporting the COLREGs clear in its June 2014 Newsletter, where it stated that ""COLREG specific"" accidents can be attributed to ""the unsatisfactory results of maritime training"". Seeing the severity of this issue, along with the target of zero collisions in the European Union’s (EU) Research and Development (R&D) Framework (Horizon 2014), research was carried out during the ACTs project (2013-15) to identify training needs. This led to the ACTs+ project aims which were as follows:1.To develop learning materials to improve the ability of seafarers to apply the COLREGs in complex real-life scenarios.2.To develop a teacher training programme to improve the ability of teachers to teach the correct application of the COLREGs.3.To develop an e-learning delivery platform.4.To involve shipping companies in the development of these learning materials so that real-life situations are addressed.5.To submit a case study to the international policymaker and professional associations to raise the need for improved teacher and cadet/seafarer training on COLREGs.It is estimated that a little over 50,000 participants were involved in the project either directly or indirectly through dissemination. These participants fell into the following target markets:1.PrimaryoMaritime trainers / teachers oMaritime companiesoSeafarers (inactive and active)oCadets (still in training at their Maritime Education and Training Institutions (METs))2.SecondaryoMaritime education policymakers (national, European and international)oInternational awarding, accrediting and licensing bodiesThe primary target audiences were identified because they were to be the end users of the ACTs+ project outputs. The secondary target audiences were selected because they provide the environment that the primary audiences operate in. The policymakers set the training requirements, and the professional bodies accredit and licence training courses and learning materials giving the international 'stamp' of quality.The project contained a mix of intellectual outputs and multiplier events covering: •The development of the delivery system (an online learning platform)•The development of online learning scenarios and accompanying self-assessment quizzes•The development of a teacher training course for the teaching of the COLREGs in more complex situations•Validation workshops during the development of the learning scenarios, self-assessment quizzes and teacher training course•Piloting of all the learning materials•The Final Conference•The report to relevant international maritime associations and policymakers with recommendations for changes in teacher training and learning practices in relation to the COLREGsCOLREGs content is currently taught in bridge simulators that have limited capacity and are expensive. To address this multi-ship and/or multi-rule situations were transformed into a set of PC based scenarios, which Ziarati (2007) reported to be as good as bridge simulators in terms of acquiring navigational skills and competencies. The PC based scenario approach to developing such skills is based on a proven methodological approach developed in several recently completed Leonardo projects: M’aider (2009-11), SURPASS (2009-2012) and ACTs (2013-2015). The project was designed to produce a range of impacts from the long-term reduction of collision-related accidents and consequently safer seas, to the improved competencies of maritime lecturers in designing and delivering digital e-learning materials, and a more mobile and qualified EU maritime labour force able to compete on the global stage for higher skilled jobs. It was also intended to help build the e-learning infrastructure of the EU and the maritime industry and position the EU as a centre of high quality and innovative e-learning based maritime education."

Analogical or case-based reasoning (CBR) is a knowledge management technology based on the premise that history repeats itself, but not exactly. This leads to problem solving can be based upon episodic memory and retrieval by similarity. CBR has been used for many software engineering problems including support for software project management in prediction and lessons learned. Unfortunately results from using CBR are varied often for no obvious reason. Consequently we cannot predict a priori when CBR will aid problem solving.The origins of CBR lie in psychological studies from the 1980s. Since then, much work (including our own) has espoused a 'black-box' approach to understanding problem-solving in software engineering. Recent interest in CBR, as a knowledge management tool, has resulted in a large literature. However, this has emphasised algorithmic approaches typically used for well-defined problem solving. To solve non-trivial or ill-defined problems, such as those encountered by software project managers, experts use other cognitive strategies (e.g. creative thinking), yet we have sparse evidence about cognitive processes in software professionals using CBR tools. Personality has been found to impact cognitive processes. Therefore it will affect problem solving ability and strategy. The proposed project aims to address the limitations of previous research by exploiting cognitive psychology and computer science to investigate the cognitive aspects of software engineering when using analogy-based tools to improve problem solving effectiveness. This project is intended as a pilot study for this novel approach. We will investigate the cognitive processes and personality of software professionals using CBR to support problem-solving (specifically cost estimation) in situ.. This will yield insights into the effective use and appropriate development of CBR tools.It is a joint proposal between Brunel University (who will provide software engineering expertise and the CBR shell), Southampton Solent University (who will provide cognitive psychology expertise and manage the RA) and EDS (who will provide expert practitioners, real world problems and research feedback). We plan to submit one journal and four conference papers, maintain a project website, a wiki, and publish post-prints of papers in our university open research archives. We will run a workshop for collaborators, academic and industrial researchers to disseminate findings and generate ideas to lead to a collaboratively authored publication. Feedback from the workshop will help develop an agenda for follow up research.

Why? Background of project - A global approach for the development of energy efficiency systems including an effective emission control is led by the IMO on account of the continued rapid growth of the world trade in the maritime transport. (IMO2012). According to GL (2012), IMO has mandated certain measures related to energy efficiency in international shipping as listed below: Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) which mandates energy efficiency standards for new ships; Energy Efficiency Operational Index (EEOI) to provide a tool for measuring the ship’s fuel efficiency in operation and monitor the effect of any variations e.g. more frequent propeller cleaning or improved voyage planning or introduction of technical measures such as a new propeller or waste heat recovery systems; and Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), a management tool for ship owners. These three standards came into force on January 1, 2013 within a new chapter of MARPOL Annex VI. Complex technologies will be involved in building a ship efficiency system by the marine suppliers since as stated earlier the life expectancy of vessels is estimated to be around 30 to 40 years and also of the mandatory regulations to be met as set by IMO (Oceana 2013).What? Objectives - Currently there is no standard for the proposed role of the Energy Manager as proposed by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). This project proposes the development of an energy managers job specification and a training programme for it specifically for the shipping industry to be able to continually improve its energy management on board ships with the view to save energy, reduce pollution and to improve the overall quality of energy management. The intention is also to encourage shipping companies to seek ISO 50000 certification. The expectation is to develop a specification and a training programme for the newly established ship energy managers helping to develop tailor-made arrangements for more efficient use of energy on board ships and their interactions with ports in line with the Energy Management System of ISO 50000. This would allow setting targets and objectives, with a requirement to monitor use of energy and to assess how well the proposed arrangements are effective on pilot basis. Maritime is a transnational sector and it is important to bring in partners which have knowledge of ship types, ship propulsion, ship navigation, energy production, electrical and mechanical parts and circuitry, safety issues, national certification, accreditation and validation of learning materials, pedagogical aspects of learning and last but by no means least online application.Who? Number and profile of participants – the partnership is composed on an organisation (C4FF) with unique knowledge of energy production and engine emissions, the project manager has considerable experience of job specification and training programme development and their validation and recognition internationally. C4FF is supported in the UK by one of the two major universities (SSU) with considerable experience of developing and offering high quality maritime programmes and as a university is an awarding body in itself. The university will work closely with professional bodies and relevant training boards and licensing authorities to ensure the specification and its associated training programme will receive the recognition intended. C4FF and SSU are supported by four Maritime Education and Training (MET) providers (SUAS in Finland (North); BAU in Turkey (South); Makro shipping in Turkey and UPC in Spain (West) covering the periphery of the Europe to ensure multiplier activities reach as many as countries in Europe as possible. The partnership is complemented by a shipping company (Makroshipping) and a port (Rauma) to make sure the specification and training programme takes all practical aspects into consideration. SPIN in Slovenia has been invited into the partnership to support C4FF in the development of a novel online e-learning platform similar to the one developed by SPIN and C4FF in previous EU funded projects such as EGMDSS and MarTEL (www.egmdss.com and www.martel.pro): many of the projects by the partnership has been selected as Best in Europe by the EU.