Iceland - National Programme Information

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National policies

Iceland has a large R&D supply system: the country hosts one major university, the University of Iceland several smaller university institutions, specialised governmental research institutes, and innovation support institutions including risk capital funds.

 

A dominant characteristic of the Icelandic research system is its internationalisation. Students coming back from their studies abroad offer the country the opportunity to rely on a strong global network. Most of the private R&D activities are also in the hands of internationalised companies, both Icelandic companies with global activities and foreign companies carrying out R&D activities in affiliate companies located in Iceland. The third-level education and research institutes are involved in numerous international research programmes, notably under the EU framework programmes, in a Nordic context, and with US partners. Recently major grants of US origin have been allocated to Icelandic R&D performers.

 

Priority areas

High-priority fields of maritime research are safety of ships and crews (see program information for more detailed description).

 

Funding organisations

The Icelandic Maritime Administration administrates the implementation of the programme. The project management board, consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and interested parties, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the programme and contributes to the co-operation of the parties concerned. The department of Research and Development is working on a program in the field of Maritime Safety, Naval Architecture and Harbour and Coastal Research.

 

Programme information

Research programme relating to the safety of ships and crews Watertight integrity of ships, security assessment of smaller fishing vessels in a dangerous wave environment, utilisation of anti rolling tanks, loading and overloading of small vessels, flow of air to ships main engines, noise levels on board ships, air quality on board ships, education and training of seafarers to be enhanced in various ways, a safety campaign for passenger boats, education and promotion campaigns, development of educational material and guidelines, the gathering and distribution of information between seafarers and on-shore parties, improvements in the stability of ships and boats, publication of laws and regulations on safety matters and increased control.

 

The Maritime Safety Program is supported by the Icelandic Government through the Ministry of Transport. The Maritime Safety Program is subdivided in four main parts:

 

(1) Education and Training of Seafarers,
(2) Instruction Materials and Dissemination of Information,
(3) Safety Management and Quality System on Board Fishing Vessels and
(4) Research and Development Projects.

 

Also in the field of Naval Architecture we are at the moment working on projects among

 

(a) Watertight Integrity of Fishing Vessels (main report was issued in December 2006)
(b) Stability of Fishing Vessels in a dangerous wave environment
(c) Loading and Overloading of Small Fishing Vessels
(d) Noise Levels on Board Ships (report will be issued in March 2007)
(e) Air quality on Board Ships

 

 

Staðgengill forstöðumanns rannsókna- og þróunarsviðs
Siglingastofnun Íslands

Jón Bernódusson
Deputy Director of Research and Development
Icelandic Maritime Administration
Vesturvör 2, 200 Kópavogur, Iceland
Tel.: +354 - 560 00 00
Fax: +354 - 560 00 60
Email: JonB@sigling.is
URL: www.sigling.is

 

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