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Merimerkit+ in brief

MERIMERKIT+ Project

New skill sets and professionals for the maritime cluster

 

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MERIMERKIT+ is a group project co-funded by the European Union (R-02498)

MERIMERKIT+ is a development project aiming at supporting employment, skills, and social inclusion within the maritime cluster. The Finnish maritime cluster is a diverse ecosystem comprising a variety of companies. The cluster includes shipping companies, ports, and port operators, as well as other activities that provide support to the maritime cluster. In 2023, the total number of employees in the Finnish maritime cluster was over 46 000 and currently there are over 2000 companies (Grönlund & Ranti 2025). Nevertheless, the cluster is currently in need for new competence and new professionals. The skills needs identified in the maritime industry have been substantiated in the earlier but still running MERIMERKIT project as a survey on the current state of the maritime industry was made in 2024.

The MERIMERKIT+ project will focus on the following themes:

  1. Future Competency Needs and Forces of Change,
  2. Value Chain Simulations in a Gamified and Collaborative Learning Environment,
  3. Value Chain Management,
  4. Maritime Industry,
  5. Project Logistics and Cargo Securing, and
  6. National and international pathways.

During the project, fact-finding missions will be carried out to generate new skills and state-of-the-art knowledge for the implementing organisations and the target groups. The project will strengthen cooperation between educational institutions, companies, and various actors at the national and international levels. In addition, extensive stakeholder and business cooperation will facilitate the achievement of the project objectives and dissemination of the results. The most prominent maritime clusters in the southwestern Finland have large subcontracting networks and supply chains. The geographical target regions are Satakunta, Southwest Finland, Central Finland, South Ostrobothnia, Pirkanmaa, and Ostrobothnia.

Project Consortium

The group project is implemented in co-operation with

  • University of Turku – main project (S31816),
  • Turku University of Applied Sciences – sub-project (S31818), and
  • JAMK University of Applied Sciences – sub-project (S31817).

The duration of the MERIMERKIT+ project is 1 April, 2026–31 December, 2028. It is a sister project of the MERIMERKIT project (R-00018, ERDF).

Funding

MERIMERKIT+ is a group project (R-02498) co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences, and JAMK University of Applied Sciences. The project is co-funded by the EU programme Innovation and skills in Finland 2021-2027, European Social Fund Plus (ESF+)

Additional information

University of Turku, Anne E. Suominen, anne.e.suominen@utu.fi, +358 40 779 9494
Turku University of Applied Sciences, Anna Hallvar, anna.hallvar@turkuamk.fi, +358 50 598 5870
JAMK University of Applied Sciences, Essi Silvennoinen, essi.silvennoinen@jamk.fi, +358 40 183 3151