Cruise ship builder, Fincantieri has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Italian research company ENEA.
This agreement aims to identify areas of common interest and develop a research and innovation programme portfolio.
The partnership will include different areas, among which are – energy efficiency, renewable energy generation systems for the production, transportation and distribution of hydrogen, fuel cells, the circular economy, management and control strategies for smart ports and smart cities, materials technologies and remediation actions for sustainability in marine and terrestrial environments.
In order to implement the co-operation, specific working groups will be set up and possibilities for personnel exchange, ie ENEA researchers being seconded to Fincantieri, while personnel of the Trieste group could work in ENEA’s research centres, are also envisaged.
Under the agreement ENEA said that it aimed to promote a wider spread of scientific knowledge and research, in its competence sectors, while Fincantieri wishes to maintain its role as a global technology leader, by acquiring further knowledge and innovative competence in the industrial fields of its business sectors.
“This agreement paves the way for a partnership of major significance between research and the business sector; we are teaming up with an international leading group, such as Fincantieri, to tackle issues such as sustainability, higher training and education, research and innovation transfer, which are more and more strategic for growth and competitiveness,” Gilberto Dialuce, ENEA President, explained.
“We are really pleased that ENEA was chosen as a partner; we have expertise and qualified facilities to be made available in many fields, from hydrogen technologies to renewable sources, from CO2 capture to robotics and big data, from the circular economy to advanced materials, but also alternative fuels and remediation actions on areas hosting shipbuilding sites, also with a view to mitigation and adaptation to climate change,” he said.
Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri CEO, added: “In recent years, we have allocated an average of €160 mill for several projects related to process and product innovation with a special focus on de-carbonisation and digitalisation. Indeed, 60% of our R&I spending fuels the development of clean technologies, which will play a role in creating increasingly eco-sustainable products and services, oriented towards resource efficiency and bio-diversity protection.
“Hence, this agreement is part of a long-standing strategy, which we are sure will allow us not only to consolidate the success achieved to date, but also to support the future competitiveness of the Group, called to face increasingly complex and demanding global scenarios,” he concluded.
