Green Transition Lab – Collaborating for a Sustainable Maritime Industry

The Green Transition Lab (GT Lab) is a research and development platform founded by Meyer Turku and Åbo Akademi University. It brings together universities and maritime industry actors to accelerate the green transition in shipbuilding. The main goal of the GT Lab is to serve as an umbrella for various green transition projects and initiatives, providing a framework that supports and guides the industry towards a more sustainable future.

Meyer Turku aims to become a carbon-neutral shipyard by 2030. Reaching this ambitious goal requires a significant transformation across the entire maritime sector, not only through new technologies, but also through systemic changes in the ways we work, produce, and collaborate.

A successful green transition requires ensuring profitability, integrating various systems, improving material and production efficiency, and reshaping both methods and education. The GT Lab was established in 2023 to meet precisely this need, with its official launch held in February 2024.

“The goal of the Green Transition Lab is to build long-term, interdisciplinary research collaboration between academia and industry. While technological research and development is naturally at the core of shipbuilding, a truly sustainable maritime industry requires broad cooperation across disciplines. The GT Lab supports this holistic effort and strengthens Meyer Turku’s and the wider network’s commitment to responsible shipbuilding”

Marjo Keiramo, Program Director of NEcOLEAP and GT Lab.

Collaboration through Open Innovation

The GT Lab functions as an open innovation platform where researchers, experts, and companies co-develop solutions for the maritime industry’s green transition. Its key operating principles include:

• Ecosystem Change and Collaboration – Achieving carbon neutrality demands broad collaboration and coordination of multiple initiatives. Due to tightening regulations, growing customer expectations, and increased competition, the industry must evolve to become more sustainable.
• Long-term Strategy – Industrial transformation must be sustainable, competitive, and socially responsible.
• Bridging Research and Practice – The GT Lab focuses not only on theoretical research but also on the practical implementation of innovations.
• International Research Collaboration – The GT Lab enables cooperation among various research institutions and stakeholders, and it is part of the partnership agreement between Meyer Turku and Åbo Akademi University. The GT Lab’s network includes also Aalto University, University of Turku, and Royal Caribbean Group.

While the GT Lab’s main focus is on cruise ship construction, its broader vision addresses the green transition of the entire maritime industry. Moreover, its working model is scalable to other sectors striving for more sustainable practices.