WEGEMT is proud to introduce WEGEMT Visions, a new initiative launched by the WEGEMT university network and fully dedicated to the WATERBORNE community and its strategic priorities.
Designed to identify, showcase, and promote the most promising completed PhD theses from across Europe, WEGEMT Visions focuses on research that can directly contribute to the future of the waterborne sector. The initiative is entirely driven by WEGEMT universities and aims to create a strong bridge between academic excellence and WATERBORNE’s industrial and policy agenda.
It is important to underline that WEGEMT Visions is a distinct initiative, different from the TRA VISIONS competitions. This competition is focused exclusively on the waterborne sector and is open only to awarded PhD theses, reflecting a mature research dimension rather than student project concepts. The VISIONS brand has been retained because of its long-standing roots in the WATERBORNE community and its historic connection with recognising visionary research and innovation in the sector.
To ensure clarity and preserve this legacy, WEGEMT has created a dedicated historical reference page that presents the evolution of the VISIONS competitions and pays tribute to more than twenty years of visionary waterborne-related initiatives:
https://wegemt-visions.eu/past-competitions/
This first edition has already attracted strong interest from across Europe, with:
- 62 total entries
- 36 eligible PhD submissions
- Participation from 9 countries
- Representation from 16 leading universities
The submitted PhD theses show strong alignment with key WATERBORNE priorities. The largest number of submissions comes from the core domains of Ships & Shipping, Blue Growth / Blue Economy, and Ports & Logistics, while the cross-cutting themes include zero-emission propulsion and decarbonisation, digitalisation, automation and AI/data systems, offshore and blue-economy infrastructure, safety, security and resilience, ocean monitoring and environmental protection, skills and human-centred transition, and competitive shipbuilding and manufacturing.
At this stage, WEGEMT Visions is in Phase 1 of the evaluation process, where each eligible PhD submission is being independently assessed by three evaluators, including two from academia and one from industry. To support this process, WEGEMT has assembled a strong and balanced evaluation panel bringing together both industry experts and academic experts, ensuring a robust assessment process that reflects both scientific excellence and sector relevance. This phase will lead to the selection of the Top 10 PhD ideas.
These shortlisted candidates will then move into Phase 2, where they will be reviewed by a select high-level panel from industry and academia in order to determine the final winning PhD project.
WEGEMT sees Visions as a long-term mechanism to systematically connect Europe’s PhD talent with the strategic priorities of the WATERBORNE sector, helping ensure that excellent academic research contributes directly to the sector’s innovation, sustainability, and future competitiveness.
