Agenda 2025Short version

Imprint

Publisher:Maritime Cluster Northern Germany e. V.Wexstraße 7 | 20355 Hamburg | Germany+49 40 227019-499info@maritimes-cluster.de

Supported by:SupMar – Supporting the Maritime Industry

Image rights: see image references

October 2020

Foreword ................................................................................................................. 4Introduction ............................................................................................................ 7

1. Megatrends in the maritime industry ......................................................... 8

2. EffectsofCovid-19onthemarinesectorinNorthernGermany ............. 9

2.1 Directeffectsduetogovernmentregulations .........................................................92.2 Downstreameffectsduetotheeconomicslump...................................................92.3 Effectsduetoexperiencewiththepandemic .........................................................9

3. VisionandmissionoftheMCNe. V. ........................................................... 10

3.1 VisionoftheMCNe. V. ...................................................................................................113.2 MissionoftheMCNe. V. ...............................................................................................113.3 KeyobjectiveoftheMCNe. V. ..............................................................................11–12

4. Fieldsofactionandimplementation .......................................................... 13

4.1 MCN Networking .............................................................................................................144.2 MCNInnovation .........................................................................................................14-154.3 MCN Human Resources ...............................................................................................154.4 MCN Knowledge and technology transfer ...............................................................164.5 MCN International ..........................................................................................................16

5. OrganisationandfundingoftheMCNe. V. .............................................. 18

5.1 Further professionalisation of work .........................................................................185.2 Permanent funding .........................................................................................................185.3 ImprovedcooperationwithEuropean,nationaland North Geman clusters ...................................................................................................18

Contents

Preliminary note

This document is a short version of theMCN Agenda 2025. It focuses on thecorecontentsof the longversionof theAgendaagreedbythegeneralmeetingoftheMCNe. V.The longversioncanbedownloadedfromtheMCNwebsiteat www.maritimes-cluster.de.

http://www.maritimes-cluster.de

DearAll,

TheCoronapandemichasturnedourlivesupsidedownwit-hinaveryshortspaceoftime.Duringthelockdown,ourper-sonalfreedomwasseverelyrestrictedandoureconomy,thedriving force that determines our daily routine, almostground to a halt. Large parts of the German economy – span-ningallindustries–wereaffected.Themaritimeindustrywasno exception. Cruises were suddenly out of the question and freight rates plummeted. This situation has taken its toll on theentiresupplychain.Short-timeworkandlayoffsarenowunder discussion at the major cruise shipyards. Coming after yearsofboomingbusiness,itfeelslikeacarcrash.Thesup-pliercompaniesarealsosuffering.Shipownersarefightingtostayinthemarketdespitefallingfreightratesandtravelres-trictions.

InanunprecedentedefforttosupporttheGermaneconomy,the German Federal Government has introduced a specialscheme worth a record amount of 156 billion euros. This is ai-med at mitigating the consequences of the crisis while safegu-ardingasmanyjobsaspossible.Onlywhenthecrisisisoverwill we know to what extent the scheme has been successful.

The economic fallout from the corona pandemic will be with us for a long time to come – all the more reason to look to the

future,focusonourstrengthsandadoptasoundstrategyfordealingwiththechallengesthat lieahead.TheMCNAgenda2025isaroadmapfortheworkoftheclusteroverthenextfiveyears.ThecoreelementsoftheAgendaarethemegatrends:digital transformation, sustainability, demographic changeand globalisation/internationalisation.

These trends are ongoing – despite the corona crisis. There canbenodoubt,however,thatthecrisishasbroughtaboutadifferentperspectiveoncertainissues.Thetrendscallforusalltoworktogether.Thisappliestotheworldsofbusiness,scienceandpolitics.Ifwepursuethisstrategy,IamconfidentthatwewillcontinuetohaveastrongGermanmaritimein-dustry in the future.

TheMCNAgenda2025willcontributetoachievingthisgoal.

Yours,

NorbertBrackmann

ForewordForeword from the Federal Government Coordinator for the Maritime Industry, Norbert Brackmann

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Working together to shape maritime future!

InthefiveNorthGermanLänder(regionalfederalstates),themaritime industry–with itshighvalue-addedcapacity– isofparamounteconomicimportance.Duetoglobaldevelop-mentsandchangesand,notleast,theeconomicfalloutfromtheCovid-19pandemic,themaritimesectorsarefacingnewchallenges.Shipbuilding, thesupply industry,maritimeser-viceproviders,oceantechnology,offshorewindtechnology,shipping and ports: the maritime industry is multifacetedand still has considerable future potential. Sustainability in shippingandatports,theretentionofshipbuildingexperti-se,demographicchangeanddigitaltransformationarethekey issues thatarealreadyrevolutionising themaritime in-dustry and will continue to do so in the future.

Today, theMaritimeClusterNorthernGermany (MCN) hasmore than 350members from the fields of business, sci-enceandpoliticsinthefiveNorthGermanLänder:Bremen,Hamburg,Mecklenburg-WesternPomerania, LowerSaxonyand Schleswig-Holstein. The role of the MCN is to support its members and raise awareness of the key future issues and technologies. Given the current situation, it is increasinglyimportant for the maritime industry to operate in a cluster in order to ensure that all stakeholders are capable of weather-ingthestormandmaintainingcompetitiveness.

The MCN facilitates cross-Länder networking and coopera-tion among its members. With its strategic cornerstones

ofhumanresources, knowledgeand innovation, theMCNalsoprovidesfertilesoilforstaffdevelopment,synergyef-fects and technical progress. Thanks to the growing trend towards networking and continual dialogue with respect to successes,problems,opportunitiesandrisksfacingthein-dustry,we are allwell equipped for the future –becausetogetherwearestrong, innovativeandcapableofmakingadifference!

NumerousstakeholdershavecontributedtotheMCNAgen-da2025byprovidinggoodideas,constructivecriticismandahighlevelofcommitment.

On behalf of the Länder,wewouldliketotakethisopportuni-ty of thanking them.

TheimplementationoftheactivitiesproposedintheAgendawillonlysucceedifallpartiesconcernedmakeajointefforton a permanent basis. This will take us a major step closer to achieving our overriding objective of strengthening theinnovativenessand international competitivenessofNorthGerman businesses.

TheMCN’sactivitiesaimedatboostingtheeconomyandin-novationacrosstheNorthGermanyLänder will continue to bean important factor inmaking themaritime industryfitfor the future.

Foreword from the five North German ministers for economic affairs

HarryGlaweMinisterforEconomicAffairs,LaborandHealth of the State of Meklenburg-Western Pomerania

Dr.BerndBuchholzMinisterforEconomicAffairs,Transport,Labour,Technology and Tourism of the State of Schleswig Holstein

Dr.BerndAlthusmannLower-Saxony′sMinisterforEconomicAffairs,Labour,

Transport and Digitalisation

Michael WesthagemannMinisterforEconomicAffairsandInnovation of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Kristina VogtMinisterforEconomicAffairs,LaborandEurope of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg

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Inrecentyears,theMCN,whichsince01.01.2017hasbeenrunbytheMCNe.V.foundedon21.04.2016,hasestablisheditselfasanimportantplayerinstrengthe-ningthemaritimeindustry inNorthernGermany.Theassociationcoversallfivecoastal LänderinNorthernGermany,wheretheMCNe.V.nowmaintainsbranchoffices,eitheronitsownorincooperationwithotherorganisations.TheMaritimeClusterNorthernGermanyhas367members(ason31.07.2020)fromthefieldsofbusiness,science,politicsandpublicadministration.

Since2015,thestrategyoftheMCN(upuntiltheendof2016)andoftheMCNe.V.(asfrom2017)hasbeensetoutinthe“MCNAgenda2020:CompetitivenessthroughInnovationandCooperation”.TheMCNe.V.owesitssuccessfultrackrecordtotheimplementationofthisAgenda.

Pastachievementsareconfirmationoftheneed–in2020–toperseverewithandupdate the strategypursued todate.On theonehand, this strategyhasbeenimplementedverysuccessfully;ontheotherhand,theeconomic,social,political,ecological,technologicalandorganisationalframeworkconditionshavechangedsignificantlysince2015.Thisbeingthecase,aparticipativestrategyprocesswasdrafted in 2019 and launched at the beginning of 2020.

ThepresentMCNAgenda2025istheproductofastrategyprocesslastingseveralmonths.Theprocesswasconductedinconsultationwiththeassociationmembers,theadvisoryboardoftheMCNe.V.,theworkinggroupsoftheMCNe.V.,thefull- timestaff,theNorthGermanLänderfundingthecluster,andtheexecutiveboardvia a comprehensive participative procedure in order to ensure not only highquality,but inparticularwidespreadacceptance.Moreover, theparties involved strivedtoincorporateanoutsideperspectivebyrequestingfeedbackfrommari-timeorganisationsandassociations(DMZ,GMT,IGMetall,IHKNord,theFounda-tionforOffshoreWindEnergy(StiftungOffshoreWindenergie),VDI,VDMA,VDR,VSM,ZDS).

InordertoensurethattheAgendatiedinwithEuropeanandnationalstrategiesandpolicydocumentsrelatingtothemaritimefield,theevaluationofsuchdocu-ments also formed part of the strategy process.

Followingfinalapprovalbythegeneralmeeting,theAgendawillservetheMCNe.V.asaguidelineforitsactivitiesoverthenextfiveyearsandthushelptoensureaconsistent,targetedandeffectivecourseofaction.Theassociation’sannualworkprogrammesaredraftedwith close reference to thisAgenda, therebyensuringthatthelatterissetoutindetailandimplementedatanoperativelevel.

Thanks to the MCN’s cross-LänderAgenda,whichisvaliduntil2025,therewillbenoneedorjustificationforregionalagendaswithintheclusterinfuture.Notwith-standingtheabove,partialstrategiesaimedatsettingoutconcretemeasuresinindividualfieldsorresponding tonewtechnicalopportunitieswillbepossible ifnecessary.

Introduction

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Likeother industries and service sectors, themaritime in-dustrymustadapt toongoingdevelopments, generally re-ferred to as megatrends. The latter bring about changes with globalconsequences,whichimpactvariousareasoflifeandbusinesssectors,includingthefollowing:

• Sustainability requirements and increasing standards with respecttoclimateprotection,thesystematicprotectionofnatureandtheenvironment,andpurelytechnicalenviron-mental protection

• Theneedforacomprehensivedigitaltransformationwitha holistic approach including social implications

• Demographic change and the resulting shortage of skilled workers

• Globalisation,itsconsequences,dependenciesandrisks

• Geopolitical restructuring and changes in spheres of pow-er and the resulting economic consequences

• Thegrowingcomplexityandvulnerabilityofhighly integ-rated networked systems of an economic and technical nature

• Increasing trade restrictions, new transport and tradingroutes

• The ever growing demand for transparency in the valueand transport chains aimed at holistic product responsibi-lity during the entire product life cycle

As faras the strategicorientationof theMCNe.V. is con-cerned, the megatrends digital transformation, sustai-nability, demographic change and globalisation play a significantroleinitscontent-basedworkandcorrespondingactivities,projectsandmeasures.Bymeansofconcreteac-tivities, theMCNe.V.aims tosupport itsmembersduringthe transformation process and help them adapt to these global trends.

Whenfocusingonthemegatrends,theMCNe.V.takesintoaccount its actual capacity for shaping and taking action.

1. Megatrends in the maritime industry

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2. Effects of Covid-19 on the maritime sector in Northern Germany

The corona pandemic has had a serious impact on the ma-ritimesector.During thecoronacrisis, theMCNe.V. focu-sedonproviding targetedsupportandconsultingservicesfor its members, particularly with respect to emergencyandbridgingaidaimedatavoidinginsolvencies.Inaddition,memberswereaskedtoprovide feedbackabout theirper-ceptionsandsensibilities,whichwasthenmadeavailabletothegovernmentadministrationsoftheNorthGermanLän-der.However,thefalloutfromthecoronapandemichasnotyetbeenovercome,whichiswhytheeffectstriggeredbythepandemicarealsoincludedinthisAgenda.Theseeffectscanbedividedintothreedifferentcategories,asshownbelow.

2.1 Direct effects due to government regulations

These effects were brought about directly by governmentmeasuresaimedatcombatingthepandemic,e.g.borderclo-sures,quarantinemeasures,contactbansorsocialdistan-cingregulations.Intheshorttolongterm,theywillgraduallydiminish as regulations are relaxed. This has already happe-nedtosomeextent.However,ifwidespreaduncertaintyre-sults in the population continuing to abide by these restricti-onsvoluntarilyevenwhentheyhavebeenlifted,theeffectsmay persist for a longer period of time. They include docking bansandquarantinearrangementsoncruiseships,etc.

2.2 Downstream effects due to the economic slump

The pandemic and the resulting restrictions have indirectlyledtoamassiveeconomicslump.Theseeffectswillbefeltforamuch longerperiodof time, inparticularduetothe inter-nationalinterdependenceofthemaritimesectors.Therefore,inmanycases,recoverywilldependinpartonhowtheinter-nationalsituationdevelops.Examplesoftheseeffectsarethelow capacity utilisation of seaports and shipping companies duetothedeclineinbothexportandimporttradeflows.

2.3 Effects due to experience with the pandemic

In addition, pandemic experience will bring about effectsthat are likely to be felt on a permanent basis across all eco-nomic sectors. This will pose a major challenge for busines-ses–onethattheywillnotbeabletoavoid.Effectsofthiskindincludeincreasedstandardsofresilienceandflexibilityinworkflowsandprocesses,inorderforbusinessestoadjustto constantly and rapidly changing external conditions.

The fields of action, recommendations for action, projectideasandproposedmeasuressetout in thisAgendawereupdated in the course of its compilation in response to the concurrent pandemic.

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3. Vision and mission of the MCN e. V.

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3.1 Vision of the MCN e. V.

Ourvisionfor2025isaglobalmaritimehotspotinNorthernGermany,amaritimeindustrythatisstrongandcompetitiveonaglobalbasis,onethatischaracterisedbyinnovation,sus-tainability,efficiency,internationalcompetitivenessandanat-tractiveworkingenvironment;moreover,weseetheMCNe.V.developingintoahighlyprofessional,powerfulandever-gro-wingnetworkthatoffersitsmemberssignificantaddedvalue.

Themaritime industryhas facedup to the changes,deve-lopednew technologies, and is recognisedbothnationallyandinternationallyasatrendsetteranddriverofinnovation.The MCN e. V. intends to continue supporting this process in the interests of strengthening value creationwithin ourmembers’ businesses and their supplier companies.

In future, the maritime businesses in Northern Germanywill cooperate evenmore closely than today, both amongthemselves andwith the scientific institutions inNorthernGermany, in order to tackle the current challenges jointlyandswiftlyvianewmarketandtechnologicaldevelopments.The MCN’s members are open to national and international partnerships and seek to enter into such alliances in order tofacilitatethedevelopmentandmarketingofthebestpos-sible products, processes, services and systems at globallevel.TheMCNe.V.anditsmembersarehelpingthemariti-meindustrydevelopapositiveimage,attractyoungtalentorcareer changers and thus counteract the shortage of skilled workers.

3.2 Mission of the MCN e. V.

TheMCNe.V.,andhencetheMCN,havemadeittheirmis-sion to provide a highly professional, member-orientatedservicestructureforthemembersand,asimportantdriversof innovation inthemaritime industry inNorthernGerma-ny,todevelopacross-Länder and cross-sector platform for networking among a broad-based membership – primarily inNorthernGermany, but open to all thosewho considerthemselvespartofthemaritimeindustryfurtherafield.Thisbeingthecase,theMCNe.V.isengagedinshapingcurrentand future maritime issues while also facilitating and promo-ting dialogue among its members.

The MCN e. V. assists the maritime industry in Northern Germany with tackling the current structural transformation and adapting as necessary to the new demands brought ab-outbyclimatechange,sustainabilityrequirementsandtheurgentneedfordigitalisation,whilealsohelpingtheindustrydeal with requirements resulting from globalisation. It initi-ates the necessary transfer of information and knowledge and promotes skill development and retention among the

membersaswellasthedevelopmentofan innovationcul-ture within the member companies.

Inparticular, theMCNe.V. initiatesthedevelopmentof in-novative,integratedandholisticconceptsandsolutionsataproduct,process,serviceandsystemlevel.

Furthermore,theMCNe.V.strivestotranslategrowingso-cialdemandsacrosstheentirevalue,logisticsanddisposalchain into meaningful action guidelines and concrete pro-jects and to communicate these to the maritime industry in order to encourage readiness to take responsibility internally and counteract possible acceptance problems externally.

To this end, theMCNe. V. organises targeted cooperationamongbusinesses, scientific institutions,educationalesta-blishmentsandpolitics.TheMCNe.V.createsaddedvaluefor its members. It ensures that Northern Germany is an at-tractiveandleadinginternationalmaritimehubforinvestors,businesses, scientistsand researchers,employeesandco-operation partners.

In the interestsof formingamaritimealliance, theMCNe.V. works closely at a national and international level withother stakeholders in the maritime industry, for examplethe maritime associations, the maritime structures of thechambers of industry and commerce and IHK Nord as well astheBrusselsofficeof IHKNordandotherorganisations.Bypooling their strengths synergistically, theseorganisati-onscanachievemoretogetherthantheywouldbecapableofachieving individually.ThisdoesnotmeanthattheMCNe. V. is in competition with the maritime associations. It sees itself as one component of the maritime alliance currently developinginGermany.

TheMCNe.V.isnotengagedinanypoliticallobbying,norisit represented on (inter)national political committees. It does notofferpolicyadvice,conductcompany-specificmarketingactivitiesorundertakeanytasksnormallyperformedbyre-gionalbusinessdevelopmentandfundingagencies,suchaslocation marketing. 3.3 Key objective of the MCN e. V.

TheoverridingobjectiveoftheMCNe.V.istostrengthentheinnovativeness,innovationcultureandnationalandinterna-tionalcompetitivenessoftheNorthGermanmaritimeenter-prisesand,inparticular,theirmembers.

The Maritime Cluster Northern Germany pursues its goals viaamultitudeofdifferentoperative targetsandactivitiesspanning five strategic fields of action set out in theMCNAgenda2025.

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Basedon thepreviousAgenda2020,which identified fourfields of action, and on the analyses, surveys and ideas itcontained, thenewAgendaMCN2025nowaddressesfivefieldsofaction:

• MCNNetworking

• MCNInnovation

• MCNHumanResources

• MCNKnowledgeandTechnologyTransfer

• MCNInternational

The megatrends digital transformation, sustainability, demographic change, globalisation/internationalisation intersectthefieldsofaction,thuscreatingamatrixforfur-therplanningactivities.Bywayof illustration,anumberofprojectideastobeimplementedwithintheassociationoverthenextfiveyearsareassigned to the interfacesbetweenfieldsofactionandmegatrends(seethe“TempleModel”onthe next page).

The“OrganisationandfundingoftheMCNe.V.”isdealtwithinchapter5,asitformsthebasisforallfutureactiononthepart of the association (which is why it is depicted as forming the foundations of the temple).

MCN Networking

MCN Innovation

MCN HUmanResources

MCN Knowledge and Technologyand

Transfer

MCN International

Digital transformation

Digital platform for MCN members Digital shipbuilding

Digitalisation in human resource management

Information about cyber security and cyber safety

Participation in international innovation projects

SustainabilityMaking shipbuilding sustainable in the future

Pollutant reduction strategy

New training course content

Supporting the Green Deal

Establishing contact with international partners in the Green Offshore Tech network

Demographicchange

Assistance with start-ups via business angels

Technologies for optimising the deployment of human resource

Image campaignfor the maritime industry

Continuation & further development of maritime foundation training

Development of maritime language courses

Globalisation/Internationali-sation

Networking with foreign clusters in line with the needs of MCN members

Technologies for optimising the deployment of human resource

Definition of job profiles for the employment of skilled workers from abroad

Providing information about foreign markets

Hosting Länder theme days

MatrixoftheMCNAgenda2025,listofpossiblecoursesofaction

OrganisationandfundingoftheMCNe.V.

Vision & mission

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4. Fields of action and implementation

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4.1 MCN Networking

The field of actionMCNNetworking encompasses all acti-vitiesundertakenbytheMCNe.V.withtheaimofbringingtogether maritime stakeholders from business, science,associations, politics andpublic administration in order toencourage creativity through dialogue and establish solu-tion-orientatedpartnerships,capableofexpandingexistingbusiness models or forming new ones by furthering familia-rityamongthevariousstakeholders.

TheMCN’s primary goal is to build and expand specialist,project-related or business networks. The exchange of in-formation and current knowhow and the introduction of possibleemployers topotentialnetworkpartners,contrac-tors and scientific and research facilities engaged in inno-vation and technology transfer, e.g. application-orientatedresearch institutions, university transfer establishments,patent exploitation agencies, etc., provide businesseswitha significant knowledge and skill advantage, which in turnpromotescompetitivenessand thuseconomicsuccess. In-novationprojectsarecenteredaround interdisciplinaryex-change,whichtheMCNe.V.intendstointensifybymeansofsuitableeventformats.

InthefieldofactionMCNNetworking,theMCNe.V.hasawealth of experience aswell as proven tools and formats,which it will continue to deploy in future. These include workinggroupsandeventssuchas theMaritimeBusinessBreakfastortheMaritimeMarketplace.

Inadditiontothetraditionalevents,theMCNe.V.intendstofacilitate further opportunities for dialogue that are speci-ficallygearedtowardsmembers’currentrequirementsandthereforeaddressissuesofamorespecificnature;contactofthiskindmaybearrangedviagroupsondigitalplatformssuchasLinkedIn,XING,MicrosoftTeams,etc.

InthefieldofactionMCNNetworking, theMCNe.V.planstoexpandonvariousideasintermsofcontentandconceptsothatviableprojectsandmeasuresmaterialise.Onceim-plemented,theseshouldassistmembersinovercomingthechallengesposedbythemegatrends.Bywayofexample,the

furtherdevelopmentof themembershipdirectoryandthebusiness directory on the website will facilitate the search for partners.ThelongversionoftheMCNAgenda2025containsnumerous other recommendations for action.

Atpresent,thecoronapandemicisalsoimpactingthefieldofactionMCNNetworking.Aslongashygieneandsocialdis-tancingrulesareinplace,networkingwillhavetotakeplaceprimarilyviadigitalmedia.Althoughthisisincreasinglybeco-mingthe“newnorm”, it lacksthespontaneityandintuitionassociatedwithface-to-faceinteraction,forwhichthereisnorealsubstitute,especiallywhenestablishinginitialcontact.Inordertocompensatefortheresultingdeficitsincommunica-tion among members und in the search for partners for R&D projects, it iscrucialthattheexecutiveboard,theadvisoryboardandthebranchofficesmaintainregularcontactwiththemembers;inthecurrentsituation,goodspecialistgroupwork is also becoming increasingly important.

Another fieldwhere there is need for action is cross-clus-ternetworking(cross-clustering,cross-innovation),asmem-berswillhavetoseeksalesmarketsfortheirproductsandservicesoutsidethemaritimesettingiftheyaretobecomemoreresistantorresilienttocrisis-relatedfluctuations.TheMCNe.V.canprovideassistanceinestablishingcontactwithother clusters and initiating business with member compa-nies and science-based members from other clusters at a lo-calorregionallevelinNorthernGermanyandevenbeyond.

4.2 MCN Innovation

The field of actionMCN Innovation is primarily concernedwith initiating, supporting and monitoring innovation pro-jectsandhelpingtocompileanddefinetechnical,service-re-latedprocessandsocialinnovations.

By“innovation”,theMCNdoesnotonlymeanthedevelop-mentandrollingoutof ideasonthemarket,buttheentireprocess of turning ideas into products, services, businessmodels and processes. While the MCN’s understanding of theterm“innovation”isprimarilyscienceandtechnology-ba-sed,social,ecological,globalorculturalissuesarealsotakeninto consideration.

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Innovationsaregenerallytheproductoffree,creativemindsthatstimulateeachother.Therefore,humanbeingsarethekeyfactorincreativeandinnovationprocesses.Thisiswhatweunderstandby“innovationmanagement”inbusinesses.Necessary prerequisites include group interaction aimed at generating complementary knowledge (crowd intelligence),aforward-lookingapproach,anerror-friendlyculture,targe-ted,impact-orientated,process-basedandpositivethinking,and methodological knowhow. The MCN network is an excel-lentplatformforthistypeofactivity.

Theinnovationprocesscannotbecontrolledmechanistical-ly; businesses can only facilitate innovative processes andcreate a stimulating in-house environment for innovation.This isan integralpartofamoderninnovationcultureandcreatesasolution-orientatedclimateforinnovation.

InadditiontoitsexistingactivitiesinthefieldofactionMCNInnovation,e.g.consultingserviceswithrespect to fundingoptions,theMCNplanstoexpandonvariousideasintermsofcontentandconceptsothatviableprojectsandmeasuresmaterialise. Once implemented, these should assistmem-bersinovercomingthechallengesposedbythemegatrends.One example is utilisation of the EU Green Deal. The long versionoftheMCNAgenda2025containsnumerousotherrecommendations for action.

Atpresent,thecoronapandemicisalsoimpactingthefieldofactionMCNInnovation.Intheshortandlongterm,itishighlylikely that cruise ship construction in German shipyards will falldramaticallyandthusloseitssignificanceasadriverofinnovation.

Asthepandemicisaccompaniedbyafallineconomicoutputandhenceinbusinessturnoverandprofits,thereislessca-pitalavailableforinvestmentandinnovation.Theinnovationdriver“sustainability”willnodoubtgainincreasingimportan-ceinthemediumandshortterm,asnationalandEuropeaneconomicrecoverypackagesalongwiththeGreenDealarecalling forand funding thedevelopmentofCO2andpollu-tant-reduction technologies. It remains to be seen whether theneedtobuildalternativesupplychainsbasedoncurrentexperienceofshortageswillprovidestimuliforgrowthinthemaritime industry in Northern Germany.

4.3 MCN Human Resources

The fieldofactionMCNHumanResources has two key ob-jectives:firstly,toassistthemaritimesectorsandbusinessesin recruiting and retaining skilledworkers, and secondly, topromote needs-based training and further education sche-mes for the maritime industry in Northern Germany. Without sufficientnumbersofappropriatelytrainedworkers,themari-timeindustrywillnotbecompetitive.TheMCNisfocusingoncross-sectoractivitiesinthisfield.

Bymeansofajointimagecampaignonthepartofallmaritimeassociations, theDMZand theMCN,weaim tomakeoccu-

pations in the various sub-sectorsof themaritime industryanattractivecareerprospectfortheyounggeneration.Thiscould lead to a continual increase in the demand for maritime jobs among young people and help the maritime industry in Northern Germany to counteract the shortage of skilled la-bour resulting from demographic factors.

Infuture,thedigitaltransformationofthemaritimeindustrywill generate completely new job requirements and employ-ment opportunities in occupations not traditionally associa-tedwith themaritime industry.Given the limitedworkforceavailable, themaritime industry is incompetitionwithothersectors and therefore needs to work especially hard on boos-ting its appeal.

This campaign also aims to encourage skilled workers from sectorsandregionshitbystructuralchange,e.g. the ligniteand hard coal mining industry and the related energy sector ortheautomotive industry, toswitch jobs,byofferingthemattractivecareerandlifestyleprospects.Itremainstobeseento what extent workers from the aeronautical engineering industrycanberecruitedtoalternativejobsinthemaritimeindustry;closecollaborationwiththeNorthGermanaeronau-ticalclustercouldleadtotherapiddevelopmentofimportantstaffrescuesolutions.

OneoftheMCN’sflagshipprojectsinthefieldofhumanre-sourcesisthe“MaritimeFoundationTraining”scheme,whichhas alwaysbeenbookedupwell in advance. Theplan is tocontinueofferingthisformatinfutureand,ifpossible,extendit.TheMCNe.V.,togetherwithitsexternalpartners,wasalsorepresentedat theBremenShippingCongress,and in2019foundedtheMCNApprenticeshipNetwork(MCN.AZUBI-Net-werk) in an attempt to deepen the bond between newcomers and the maritime industry.

InthefieldofactionMCNHumanResources,theMCNplanstoexpandonvariousideasintermsofcontentandconceptsothatviableprojectsandmeasuresmaterialise.Onceimple-mented,theseshouldassistmembersinovercomingthechal-lengesposedbythemegatrends.Oneexampleisthedevelop-ment of e-learning courses in consultation with and on behalf oftheclustermembers.ThelongversionoftheMCNAgenda2025 contains numerous other recommendations for action.

Atpresent,thecoronapandemicisalsoimpactingthefieldofaction MCN Human Resources. The maritime labour market has been badly hit by the current economic conditions resul-tingfromthepandemic.However,itisdifficulttopredictthemedium and long-term effects on the existing shortage ofskilled labourandfuturestaffrequirements inthemaritimeindustry.Assoonastheglobaleconomyhasreturnedtoan-ythinglikepre-Covid-19levels,theneedtotakeactionandtheoptions available for overcoming demographic change andtheshortageofskilledlabourwillgainrenewedrelevance.Itisthereforeadvisabletoobservethelabourmarketandthehuman resource situation systematically and initiate projects inthisfieldinadequatetimeifnecessary.

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Intheshortandmediumtermatleast,therewillbelessde-mandformaritimeservices,e.g.furthereducationschemes,consulting services, etc. However, requirements regardinginfection prevention in allmaritime fields, workplace hygie-neandfuturecrisismanagementintheeventofsimilarout-breakswillinevitablyincrease.Oncethispandemicisover,itwill be time to start preparing for the next.

4.4 MCN Knowledge and Technology Transfer

ThefieldofactionMCNKnowledgeandTechnologyTransferencompasses all measures aimed at optimising the reciprocal transfer of information and knowledge and accelerating the transfer of technology among MCN members and other mari-time stakeholders – in Northern Germany and beyond.

Here the focus is on strengthening the technical systems ca-pability and systems expertise of the maritime industry in Northern Germany as a whole. The knowledge and technology transferisintendedtokick-startandsupportinnovationpro-cessesattheinterfaceofscience,businessandthemarket.

Thistypeofknowledgeandtechnologytransferisfacilitated,forexample,bybachelorandmastertheses,internships,con-tractresearch,themovementofstafffromscientificresearchinstitutionstothebusinessworldandviceversa,workshado-wingandtraineeships,spin-offs, jointresearchprojects,pu-blications,patents,licencesorinformaldialogue.Theseshortand medium-term projects can be complemented by system-atic and strategic collaborations in the form of long-term part-nerships.Theinterdisciplinaryworkinggroups,whichformthepre-competitiveframeworkforsuccessfulimplementationofresearchfindings,alreadyplayanimportantroleintheMCN.

InthefieldofactionMCNKnowledgeandTechnologyTrans-fer,theMCNe.V.planstoexpandonvariousideasintermsofcontentandconceptsothatviableprojectsandmeasuresmaterialise.Onceimplemented,theseshouldassistmembersinovercomingthechallengesposedbythemegatrends.Oneexample is the gradual establishment of a publicly accessible “Wikipedia”onthemaritimeindustry,e.g.ontheMCN’sweb-site.ThelongversionoftheMCNAgenda2025containsnu-merous other recommendations for action.

Atpresent,thecoronapandemic isalsoimpactingthefieldof action MCN Knowledge and Technology Transfer. Howe-ver,itisprobablethattheprojectsinthisfieldofactioncouldbeimplementedinfullorevensteppedupduringthecoronacrisis because they can generally make use of digital commu-nication formats.

4.5 MCN International

InthefieldofactionMCNInternational,theMCNpoolsallideasandproposals thathavean internationaldimension

intermsofplanning,preparation,executionandfollow-upand/orthatsupportinternationalisationeffortsonthepartofmembers.Thisfieldofactionprimarilyaddressescompa-nies with little or no experience and few or no structures or saleschannelstranscendingnationalborders;inmostcases,theseareSMEs.Globaleffects,suchasshifts insalesmar-kets,callforcompaniestotapintonewforeignmarketsonacontinualbasis.Ultimately,internationalisationisaquestionofindividualbusinessstrategy.

In the fieldof actionMCN International, theMCNplans toexpand on various ideas in terms of content and conceptsothatviableprojectsandmeasuresmaterialise.Onceim-plemented,theseshouldassistmembersinovercomingthechallenges posed by the megatrends. The MCN will address thetopicofinternationalisationwiththehelpofitsownvo-lunteers and full-time staff and via workshops or workinggroups.Oneway inwhich this canbeachieved is throughthe staging of Länder Theme Days in collaboration with other suitably qualified institutions and organisations. The longversionoftheMCNAgenda2025containsnumerousotherrecommendations for action.

Atpresent,thecoronapandemicisalsoimpactingthefieldof action MCN International. The freight shipping sector has beenespeciallyhardhitby thepandemic,asglobal traderelationshavebeennegativelyaffected.Atpresent,itisnotpossible to foresee the medium to long-term consequen-ces of effects such as the fall in freight rates and the re-turn to producing certain goods on domestic or European markets. Nor is it possible to predict when and to what ex-tentitwillbefeasibletoresumeinternationalairtravelforthe purpose of initiating business transactions and what impact behavioural changes resulting from the pandemicwillhaveoncommunication.Therefore,projectsaimedathelping members form international business relationships willhavetobereviewedatregular intervals fortheirrele-vanceandpracticality.

The continual optimisation of the organisation and the fun-ding of the MCN e. V. will remain a key issue in the forth-comingfundingperiod.Usefulnewdevelopmentsaimedatachieving 1) further professionalisation ofwork, 2) perma-nentfunding,and3)improvedcooperationwithotherclus-ters,whilestrengtheningtheassociationasawhole,needtobe analysed and implemented swiftly.

Inthecourseofthestrategyprocess,numerousideasandproposals were put forward on this topic. They are not all included in the list below. All the observationsmadeduring the strategy process on the subject of organisa-tion and funding will be presented in full in the form of a workingpaperdrawnupbytheexecutiveboard,andwillserveasabasis forfurtherdiscussionanddialoguewiththe Länder.

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5. Organisation and funding of the MCN e. V.

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5.1 Further professionalisation of work

As far as furtherprofessionalisationofwork is concerned,themainfocuswillbeonthefollowingsubjectareas:

• Membership,e.g.alternativeformsofmembersupport

• Workinggroups,e.g.auniformconcept

• Events,e.g.whentransformingeventcontentintoconcre-te projects

• Branchoffices,e.g.asynergisticdivisionoflabour,takingaccountofregion-specificissues

• Central cluster management, e.g. optimisation of thebusiness directory

• Operationsmanagement, e.g. increased delegation ofresponsibilitybytheexecutiveboard

• Executive board, e.g. the appointment of a managingdirector

• Communication,e.g.viathedevelopmentofaholisticPRstrategy

• Reviewandmodificationofthepresentlegalformifne-cessary

5.2 Permanent funding

The MCN e. V. will remain dependent on public funding from the Ländertomaintainitsstructure,roleandser-vices.Therefore,intheinterestsofobtainingfundingfortheCentralClusterManagementandthebranchoffices,weneedtofurtherdevelopandimprovethecorrespon-ding prerequisites and processes in collaboration with the Länder. Special attention should be paid to measures aimed at simplifying the funding process so that the as-sociation’slimitedstaffresourcescanbelargelydeployedfor directly assisting members.

5.3 Improved cooperation with European, national and North German clusters

The MCN e. V. operates primarily in Northern Germany. Themaritimeindustryislessrestrictedtospecificregions.

Stronger European networking would make it possible to identify new European developments at an early stage,strengthenandsupportthetransferofinformation,know-ledge and technologywithin Europe, and access fundingfrom the new European Research Framework Programme more easily by collaborating with other Länder. Science-ba-sed and business partners could also be found more rea-dilyviaclustercooperationatEuropeanlevel.

Cooperation with national clusters, e.g. via membershipin the initiative “go cluster”, would assist us in accessingup-to-date information and knowledge in these fields.Knowledge of projects run by leading-edge or excellence clustersinGermanywouldhelpimprovetheMCN’sserviceexpertise.

Maritime players are also based in other Länder,e.g.inthefield of logistics or the supply industry. It is therefore inthe interests of the MCN’s members that the association expand its network in an intelligent way beyond the boun-dariesofNorthernGermany,possiblyincooperationwithotherpartiesinvolved,suchastheDMZorIHKNord.

Collaborations with other North German clusters are ex-tremelyexpedientforsystematiccross-clustering,buttheassociation as a whole should focus primarily on collabora-ting with stakeholders operating in Northern Germany or on a cross-Länder basis. Regional collaborations should be agreedamongthebranchofficesandimplementedpredo-minantlyattherespectivebranchofficelevel.

Theinitiationofconcreteprojectsandvaluecreationpro-cessesforthebenefitofmembersandhencetheregionaleconomyshouldalwaysbeattheforefrontofallactivitiesatthethreelevelsoutlinedabove.

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