Business Finland will allocate 20 M€ in the Zero Emission Marine (ZEM) ecosystem project of Wärtsilä. As an ecosystem leader, Wärtsilä will launch an extensive RDI project together with close to 200 actors, who share a goal of creating a zero-emission ecosystem for the marine industry. Spinverse team will support in commencing the four-year project developing cutting-edge sustainable technologies to reach its ambitious goals. Spinverse experts will help the project in setting the groundwork and creating an efficient operating model for the ecosystem.
The environmental objective of the Zero Emission Marine collaboration project is to reduce greenhouse gases by 60% in the marine industry by 2030. After 2050, all the Wärtsilä-driven ecosystem products will be carbon-neutral or carbon-negative. To achieve these goals, the project roadmap focuses on the following intertwining topics:
- Accelerating the implementation of technologies that enable the introduction of green fuels
- Driving the ecosystem towards economically feasible carbon-neutral fuels such as ammonium and hydrogen
- Developing automated and optimized operations to increase system efficiency and reduction of emissions
- Developing commercially viable business models for the ecosystem and a number of sectors.
The sustainable technology solutions to be developed in the Zero Emission Marine ecosystem project will not only benefit the marine industry but their usage can be expanded to the energy sector. At the same time, being part of the ZEM ecosystem will benefit many innovative companies co-creating the solutions. Hannu Mäntymaa, CEO of Wärtsilä Finland says: “Wärtsilä has as a leading international company a strong leverage in creating innovations, and it can foster the business of innovative SMEs. The ecosystem creates a platform for small businesses to find vital partners in large companies where open innovation can be implemented. The impact of the Wärtsilä driven ecosystem also guides the scientific world and research institutes, as Wärtsilä cooperates actively with a Finnish research institute VTT and top universities in Finland.”
Spinverse supported the Wärtsilä team in planning and preparing their winning project proposal in the Business Finland challenge for leading companies, also known as Veturi challenge. Therefore, the Spinverse team of experts is excited to participate in building and leading this innovative and sustainable ecosystem together with Wärtsilä and help the ecosystem on its journey towards its ambitious goals.
Kenneth Widell, the Project Manager from Wärtsilä says: “Spinverse’s depth and width of expertise, as well as their track record in supporting companies and consortia in winning national and EU funding calls, was a key factor when choosing a partner for setting up the Zero Emission Marine ecosystem. We are confident that we will together, in the ecosystem, fulfil and exceed our promise to decarbonize the Maritime world."
Project Manager Sonja Auvinen from Spinverse sums up: “Spinverse team will bring key capabilities to the collaboration in ecosystem leadership but we can also support Wärtsilä with our expertise in the marine industry, hydrogen technologies and other sustainable technologies central to the ZEM project.“
The ZEM ecosystem will see public daylight in its Launch event on 7th April 2022. Join us to hear about the possibilities this ecosystem has to offer and engage in discussion with other actors in this field!
