MoU with CETENA

On 28 May, WMU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CETENA S.p.A, a company within the Fincantieri Group, is dedicated to research and consultancy in the naval and maritime field. Since the foundation in 1962, CETENA has been involved in national and international research activities and has carried out research and consultancy and technical assistance for shipyards, shipowners, navies and universities.

The MoU was signed by Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU and Mr. Paolo Ceni, CEO of CETENA. It provides for collaboration on the development of joint research projects, a provision for WMU to deliver tailor-made education programmes to CETENA staff, the hosting of field study visits for WMU MSc students on-site at CETENA premises, and access for WMU distance learning programmes and access to data for research purposes.

President Doumbia-Henry welcomed the cooperation noting the commitment of both WMU and CETENA to facilitate an academia-industry nexus to forge transformative partnerships for the benefit of the maritime and oceans industries. On the occasion of the signing of the MOU the WMU President stated: “This MoU foresees a collaboration with CETENA and the maritime industry on a range of areas of mutual interest and in particular with respect to research and innovation. It also provides for WMU students to visit CETENA’s world-class simulation labs during field study visits which will be an invaluable part of their WMU educational experience."

The CEO of CETENA stated: “It’s a big honour to begin a collaboration with such important University, linked to the International Maritime Organization. I’m sure we’ll develop innovative research projects together and that we will find in WMU’s students, the specific skills we are looking for to improve our technical activities”. CETENA is working on new topics related to energy management and virtual reality and this collaboration will be really fruitful and important for the next future.

CETENA is a research centre serving Fincantieri and other clients with a wide range of consultancy, activities on board, specific products, laboratory tests and training programmes in the maritime field for civil and naval sectors. CETENA activities are complementary to research undertaken at WMU where students benefit from cutting-edge, research-informed curricula and practice-oriented simulations in the WMU Maritime Risk and Systems Safety (MaRiSa) Lab.