Gdynia Maritime University GMU

Equally important as its role as a centre of education and training for highly qualified specialists is Gdynia Maritime University’s research and research and development activity. The scientific research projects carried out at the University are part of national and international programs financed by the National Science Centre in Cracow, the National Centre for Research and Development, and the EU. Team and individual research projects conducted at the University are subsidised by the Ministry of Education and Science. 

The valuable experience gained through engagement in such research contributes to the development of the University’s academic potential. The results of the University’s research are presented at national and international conferences, in addition to the numerous articles published in prestigious scientific journals.

An important area of the University’s activity is its close cooperation with industry and provision of research services to entities from the socio-economic environment. The results of research conducted at the University form the basis of opinions and expertise provided to industry and state institutions connected with the maritime industry. The cooperation between scientific research and industry brings tangible results in the commercialisation of research and is therefore consistent with contemporary global trends.

The University is also a member of technology platforms, technology transfer centres, innovation centres, and science and science and technology consortium.

Projects conducted by the research teams can be classified as:

• Basic research
• Applied research
• Implementation research

Research funded by the subsidies granted to the faculties of Gdynia Maritime University and the Maritime Institute by the state includes, as per the University’s Articles of Association, ongoing tasks connected with scientific research and development work initiated or conducted by the University. The tasks to be covered by the subsidies and the associated expenses are shall be determined by the individual scientific units, having regard to the possibility to finance such tasks from any subsidy granted and other sources of income.

State subsidy funding for research activity also covers tasks necessary in the development of scientific fields of study and areas of research, the training and development of science personnel, and other activities such as the popularisation of science and initiatives connected with the commercialisation of scientific research, and development work.

From the funds allocated to the faculties of Gdynia Maritime University and the Maritime Institute for research, individual and collaborative research projects are carried out within the following scientific disciplines:

• civil engineering, geodesy, and transport;
• mechanical engineering;
• automation, electronics, electrical engineering, and space technologies; 
• management and quality sciences, including food and nutrition technology, health sciences, and economics and finance;
• Earth and related environmental sciences.

The scientific research conducted within the Faculties of GMU and the GMU Maritime Institute in the year 2023 includes the following topics:

Faculty of Navigation

• The effect of selected hydrodynamic phenomena on the safety of ship operation;
• Testing the performance characteristics of GNSS systems in navigation, transport, geodetic surveying and hydrography;
• Multi-criterial decision support methods and algorithms for improving the safety and reliability of transport and logistics systems;
• Analysis of manoeuvring properties of entities with forward control units;
• Shaping the sustainable development of transport and logistics systems;
• Analysis of external conditions affecting the safety and environmental performance of transport operations;
• Development of the concept of e-Navigation within the framework of maritime transport telematics in the context of the integration of terrestrial and satellite navigation systems and the development of spatial information systems technology and their effect on marine and inland shipping;
• Analysis and testing of telematics systems in maritime transport;
• The human factor and the safety of merchant ships in different stages of their journey.

Faculty of Marine Engineering

• Study of devices and structural elements designed to increase their reliability and efficiency;
• Operation of marine machinery and equipment, including energy and environmental aspects;
• Technology for the manufacture and diagnostics of marine machinery and hulls;
• The use of optical methods in the measurement of the properties of technical waters and other operating materials of ship power plants.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

• Development and improvement of digital and mathematical tools for multi-phase, multi-pulse and multi-level energy electronic converters;
• Simulation models for optimal control of dynamic moving objects;
• Modern methods for controlling the movement of autonomous vessels in open and confined waters;
• Electricity quality in marine and terrestrial electric power systems;
• Modelling and measurement of thermal phenomena in energy conversion systems and semiconductor light sources;
• Modelling, analysis and measurement of the properties of electronic components and systems;
• Development of computational intelligence and machine learning systems and methods for optimal signal processing in communication systems;
• Formation control of low-emission propulsion units.

Faculty of Management and Quality Science

• New food products - quality, safety, consumer;
• Data analysis methods and tools and optimisation;
• Systematic quality, environmental and safety management in the life cycle of a product;
• Technical and natural aspects of the quality of goods and the attitudes and behaviour of consumers towards these goods in the context of the promotion of the idea of sustainable development;
• Models for the management of supply chains in a turbulent environment - assessment of the current state of affairs and their development (second stage of implementation);
• Marketing management in uncertain conditions - the role of quantitative and qualitative methods in the diagnosis of resources and the environment;
• Modelling of the health effects of air pollutants in the sustainable development of an industrial urban agglomeration - a comparative assessment of selected agglomerations;
• Management of organisations in the context of sustainable development;
• Monitoring and analysis of the effects of selected substances and materials in terms of environmental protection.

Maritime Institute

• Research of the bento habitats of the Słupsk Bank and South Central Bank;
• Wrecks as a source of pollution for the marine environment.

There are also 19 scientific circles active within the University, which, by engaging students in research projects, allow them to put the knowledge and skills gained during their studies into practice.