The University of Turku and the Singapore Maritime Institute collaborated for the second time in organising the Finland–Singapore Maritime Innovation Camp. The winning team was announced on the final day of the camp held in Singapore on 11–16 January 2020. The camp was organised in collaboration with the business partners Jurong Port, MacGregor, and The China Navigation Company.
A concept created by the Turku School of Economics, the Innovation Camp is a facilitated innovation process designed to solve challenges set by corporate partners. The objective of the innovation camp organised in Singapore was not only offering the business partners innovative solutions, but also participating in the innovative joint development of the maritime sector and growing the maritime innovation ecosystem in Finland and Singapore.
Altogether 16 university students from Finland and Singapore were shortlisted to participate in the intensive week-long camp where they generated innovative ideas for the challenges presented. The teams pitched their proposals to the panel of judges which comprised of members of academia and representatives of the corporate partners and other organisations.
The panel of judges included Ritva Naumanen (Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Finland in Singapore), Sanjay C. Kuttan (Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Institute), Markus Granlund (Dean of the Turku School of Economics, University of Turku), Michel van Roozendaal (President, MacGregor), Parikshit Kulkarni (Senior Manager, Operations and Technology, Jurong Port), Rasmus Nagel (General Manager, Customer Service and Business Systems, The China Navigation Company), Kenneth Lim (Chief Technology Officer, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore), and Kenneth Chia (Executive Director, Singapore Maritime Foundation).
The teams were assessed based on e.g. the relevance and perceived benefits of the solution, novelty, potential for scale-up, and presentation. The winning team and receiver of the cash prize of S$4,000 (approximately €2,700) impressed the judges with the quality and creativity of their proposal Cargo in the Clouds. The team comprised of Ada-Maria Wäck and Oula Huttunen from the University of Turku, Huang Yuxi from New Castle University, Singapore, and Antonio Ng Yeow Hwee from the National University of Singapore.
– The latest edition of the Innovation Camp demonstrated once again the potential of the talented students in generating highly valid ideas for the global maritime sector. Given the challenge and intensive process, we saw all the students performing in truly innovative, determined, and committed way, says Professor Markus Granlund, Dean of the Turku School of Economics at the University of Turku.
– The Innovation Camp aimed to interest, excite, and enable students to gain deeper insight and perspective into the maritime industry while taking on real-world business challenges. It offered them the opportunity to work with and be mentored by academic and industry professionals. We are grateful to the University of Turku for partnering with us on this meaningful and innovative collaboration We hope that this platform has helped to create value for our corporate partners, bringing fresh ideas to pressing challenges, and collectively build the innovation ecosystem in the maritime sector, says Sanjay C. Kuttan, Executive Director of the Singapore Maritime Insitute.
Over the last couple of years, the Turku School of Economics has successfully expanded and systematised the Innovation Camp concept, developing it into international innovation collaboration. The concept is implemented together with corporate and university partners in the form of approximately week-long camps organised in Finland and abroad. The student participants are chosen for each camp based on their applications. The first international Innovation Camp was organised in 2018, also in collaboration with the Singapore Maritime Institute.
The Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) is a joint effort by the Maritime and Port Authority, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, and the Singapore Economic Development Board. Established in 2011, the SMI funds and and coordinates research and promotes collaboration with the maritime sector to develop and expand the field with the help of scientific information and innovations. www.maritimeinstitute.sg.
