Liverpool John Moores University is to bring together its world-leading maritime education, research and innovation through a new global hub. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) is launching a new global centre of excellence for the maritime sector.

The LJMU Global Centre for Maritime Innovation will provide new opportunities for collaboration and engagement between academics, external partners and the wider industry to deliver impactful research, education and training.

LJMU is already recognised internationally for its long-standing maritime excellence and expertise, and its contributions to the industry worldwide.

This new entity will aim to strengthen links across the industry on a regional, national and international level. The university says it wants its work to continue to meet current and future sector requirements, and equip students for their future careers.

Professor Mark Power, Vice-Chancellor of LJMU, said: “Bringing together our expertise under the banner of the LJMU Global Centre for Maritime Innovation reflects the university’s status as one of the world’s leading academic maritime centres.

“The centre will build on LJMU’s reputation for outstanding education, research and innovation.

“It will strengthen our links across the industry on a regional, national and international level, ensure our work continues to meet current and future sector requirements, and equip our students for their future careers.”

Having evolved from the UK’s first nautical school in the 1850s, LJMU was recently appointed to the International Executive Board of the IAMU, the global network of leading maritime universities providing education and training.

Maritime is worth more than £5bn to the Liverpool city region every year. Ruth Wood, chief executive of Mersey Maritime, added: “The maritime sector is one of the great strengths of the Liverpool city region economy. LJMU’s expertise in education, research and innovation plays a significant part in that.

“Together we are working with a wide range of partners on key priorities for the sector, such as decarbonisation, digitisation and developing the technologies and skills to ensure the industry continues to thrive here and around the world.”

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This new centre was also welcomed by the national maritime industry body, Maritime UK. Its chief executive Chris Shirling-Rooke, said: “The UK is a world leader within the maritime sector: world-leading innovation, world-leading engineering, with world-leading education.

“The key of course to all of this are the people, our industry’s greatest asset. Seeing one of our oldest maritime institutions investing in our future maritime people, something so critical to UK prosperity, is something we can all be proud of and is a further string to the UK’s maritime education bow.”