As part of the IAMU Organizational Development Project “Building Relationships: Innovation and Development for Global Excellence via Industrial Advisory Board (BRIDGE-IAB)”, a series of consultation meetings were held in London on 3 and 4 November 2025 to discuss the project’s objectives and gather expert feedback.
The project, led by Prof. Dr. Ender Asyalı of Maine Maritime Academy, is implemented in partnership with Istanbul Technical University and Maine Maritime Academy, with support from the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) and The Nippon Foundation. The project team includes Prof. Dr. Özcan Arslan and Asst. Prof. Dr. Esma Uflaz from Istanbul Technical University, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aaron Kingsbury from Maine Maritime Academy. Its main goal is to establish a structure for Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) within IAMU to strengthen cooperation between maritime academia, industry, and international NGOs.
On 3 November 2025, Asst. Prof. Dr. Esma Uflaz (representing the project on behalf of the team) and Prof. Dr. Takeshi Nakazawa, Executive Director of IAMU, visited the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) in London and met with Mr Robert Hill FICS, Director. The discussion centred on how the BRIDGE-IAB Project could benefit from ICS’s global experience in professional standards and maritime education to shape the proposed IAB framework.
On 4 November 2025, meetings continued at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) with Captain Arvind Natrajan and colleagues. The conversation focused on the project’s aim to link academic research with industry priorities, highlighting collaboration areas such as safety, sustainability, and workforce development.
The same day, two courtesy visits were held at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In the first meeting, Ms. Louise Proctor, Deputy Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, received a presentation on the BRIDGE-IAB Project and its alignment with IMO’s capacity-building efforts. Later, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, Secretary-General of IMO, discussed broader cooperation opportunities, including the potential organization of the IAMU Student Forum 2027 at IMO Headquarters.
The London consultations concluded with expressions of mutual appreciation and a shared commitment to advancing global maritime education and promoting stronger collaboration between academia and the maritime industry through the BRIDGE-IAB initiative.
