New Chairman
The Maritime Cluster Northern Germany has a new board that was elected at the annual general meeting. In order to ensure consistency on the board, the election of positions within the board takes place at different times. The new chairman is Prof. Bastian Gruschka, the second chairman is Martin Pieper, and Frank Nicolai was elected treasurer.
10+1 years MCN
With its members and companions, the MCN celebrated its tenth anniversary in June 2022, looked back on exciting years and discussed the future structure of the maritime network. Due to the corona virus, the celebration took place a year later than originally planned.
New additions to the advisory board
Every two years, the management board of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany appoints an advisory board with experts from the worlds of maritime industry and science. In 2021, four additional representatives have been added to the current advisory board, so the MCN advisory board now comprises a total of 13 people.
MCN Radar—the podcast of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany
The maritime sector—from shipbuilding to marine research—is headed on a steady course towards the future. Digitisation, decarbonisation and sustainability are just a few of the important issues that the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany and its approximately 350 members are working on. MCN launched the MCN Radar podcast to provide another platform for these important issues and to give them a permanent voice.
MCN awards MCN Cup for the first time
With the MCN Cup, which will take place for the first time in 2021, the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany seeks to reward exciting sustainable innovation concepts in a total of four prize categories. The prize is aimed at members of MCN e.V. from the worlds of science and business. MCN also recognises the ideas of trainees and students with its MCN Junior Cup.
MCN Strategy 2025
Strategy 2025, adopted at the general meeting, will serve MCN as a guideline for its work up until 2025 and thereby promote consistent, targeted and effective action. The annual work programmes of the association will be drafted in close alignment with this strategy, thus ensuring operational specification and implementation.
New Board for the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany
The members of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany have elected a new Board. The new chairman of the MCN e. V. is Knut Gerdes. The work at the MCN is not new to him, as he has been accompanying and shaping the association's board work as co-chairman since 2018. The second chairman is Christian Cammin, Julius Marine GmbH, who was also active as a member of the Board. Frank Nicolai, Moore BRL GmbH, is the new Treasurer.
MCN organizes fair MEER KONTAKTE
For the second time, the MCN hosted the maritime fair MEER KONTAKTE in Kiel in October 2019. A total of 81 exhibitors from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Austria came to Kiel to present themselves and their innovative products and services. Visitors and exhibitors were also able to take part in keynote speeches and panel discussions on the four key topics Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0, Green Maritime and Skilled Workers.
MCN appoints Advisory Board
The Maritime Cluster Northern Germany has appointed an Advisory Board of experts from the maritime sector. The Advisory Board aims to further strengthen the association's content-related work by advising and supporting the MCN Executive Board. Moreover, this institution gives the opportunity to members to actively shape the association.
New MCN specialist group Innovation Management
MCN founded the new specialist group "Innovation Management". This new specialist group aims to support companies to securely develop, to finance, to launch and to manage innovations in a sustainable manner as well as to protect them legally. By doing so, MCN intends to provide a "toolbox for innovation management“, which the participants can also use for their content-related work in another MCN specialist group and far more.
Establishment of the association's own office in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
The Maritime Cluster Northern Germany has established its own office in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Until now, the MCN was present in the state through a cooperation agreement. "For us, the new own office is a great step forward and at the same time a vote of confidence on the part of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. We look forward to advancing cross-border networking and innovation in the maritime sector from a new location in a new position," says Dominik Eisenbeis, Chairman of the MCNs.
Exhibitors and cooperation partners at SMM
2,289 exhibitors and around 50,000 trade visitors – this is the overall result of SMM, which took place in Hamburg in September 2018. The trade fair for the maritime sector was also a great success for the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany. MCN was present as exhibitor and cooperation partner of the Maritime 3D Printing Show Area. On 5 September, MCN welcomed economic policy representatives from the five northern German federal states and presented current Innovation projects.
Evaluation 2018: Development work successfully mastered
MCN has successfully mastered the major part of its development work as an association and can already point to a wide range of successes—these are the findings of an evaluation commissioned by the Hamburg Ministry of Economy, Transport and Innovation on behalf of the five coastal federal states. In addition to the implementation status of the transition from project to association, the evaluation also analysed MCN’s activities since the association was founded.
New executive board elected
MCN has a new executive board. It was elected at the annual general meeting. The chairman is Dominik Eisenbeis, the second chairman is Wolfgang-Dieter Glanz, and the new treasurer is Dirk Schümann.
One maritime cluster, 300 members
With the corporate alliance GDD Group from Bremerhaven, MCN welcomes the 300th member in its maritime network. With six companies, the GDD Group offers services based around ships, engines and energy technology.
New MCN professional group Maritime Safety and Security
The Maritime Cluster Northern Germany founded the specialist group Maritime Safety and Security. One aim is to identify issues and future hot spots in the field of maritime safety and security as well as to initiate innovative projects. The specialist group supplements existing programmes and projects from other institutions and associations and aims to promote collaboration and cooperation between the individual stakeholders.
Founding of the specialist group Yacht and Boat Building
MCN founded another working group. With the new specialist group Yacht and Boat Building,MCN provides a platform for the numerous and highly innovative actors in the yacht and boat building industry in Northern Germany, so they can develop innovative project ideas and discuss developments in the industry on a regular basis.
Premiere for MEER KONTAKTE
For the first time, the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany organised the trade fair MEER KONTAKTE for the maritime industry. A total of 105 MCN member companies from all five Northern German federal states demonstrated on their stands how diverse and innovative the maritime industry is. In addition to the fair, MEER KONTAKTE offered its visitors a number of interesting accompanying programmes.
Annual general meeting and network meeting: Looking back at nearly one year of activity as an association
Nearly six months have passed since the cross-state project Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN) has been completely transformed into an association. A lot has happened since then. At the annual general meeting the executive board and the management reported on the activities of the cluster and the plans for 2018.
First annual general membership meeting in Kiel
Some 120 voting members from five federal states came together at the first general membership meeting in Kiel on 5 December 2016 to set the further course to be taken by the cluster, and exchange views and ideas. Apart from passing the resolutions on work scheduling and the financial plan for the coming year, the meeting also elected two auditors: Jutta Horstrup (Roever Broenner Susat Mazars GmbH & Co. KG) and Dr. Steffen Leicht (Lawentus Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB). From 1 January 2017, the Central Cluster Management will have its headquarters in Hamburg. In her capacity as CEO, Jessica Wegener will manage the affairs of MCN e. V.
Registration of MCN e. V. at the registry court
The good ship "e. V." (registered association) gets up to full speed. On 24 August 2016, the newly founded association was registered at the registry court in Hamburg. Jessica Wegener became the acting managing director of the Maritime Cluster Norddeutschland e. V.
Founding of MCN e. V.
There was great support at the inaugural meeting of MCN e. V. on 21 April 2016 in Hamburg when 146 players from maritime science and industry came together with representatives of the five federal states to lay the cornerstone for the continuation of the MCN project, which was set to expire at the end of 2016. From 1 January 2017 onward, the project will become an independent association. The inaugural meeting elected Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Watter of the Flensburg University of Applied Sciences as its chairman.
Two new MCN contact points in Northern Germany
Two new MCN contact points have opened in Bremen and Rostock, this means that MCN now has a presence across the whole of Northern Germany.
MCN is growing - five states - one cluster
In addition to Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Bremen now also contribute to the Maritime Cluster. Five states – one maritime cluster!
MCN welcomes their 200th member
Werum Software & Systems CIS AG is the 200th company to be incorporated into the Lower Saxony office of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany in July 2014.
Advisory Board advises MCN
The advisory board of the Maritime Cluster Northern Germany is composed of entrepreneurs and representatives from research and science who consult the cluster in economic governance and strategic issues.
MCN launches into a new funding phase
To continue the "Maritime Cluster Northern Germany (MCN)" for initially three further years, the Minister of Economic Affairs Reinhard Meyer hands over a grant approval of 400,000 euros to the MCN project initiator Wirtschaftsförderung- und Technologie-Transfer Schleswig-Holstein GmbH (WTSH).
MCN receives the Excellence Label in Bronze
The cluster participates in a cluster management benchmarking event of the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA) and was awarded the Cluster Management Excellence Label in Bronze for their performance.
Evaluation confirms that MCN is well on track
The evaluation found that in the relatively short time of its existence, MCN had undergone a highly positive development with a whole set of presentable results to show for as well as the first positive impact in terms of improving the competitiveness of the industry.
MCN welcomes its 100th Member
During his visit to the Ships, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM) international trade fair on 5 September, the Minister for Economics Reinhard Meyer welcomes the Flensburger Schiffbau Gesellschaft mbh & Co.KG (FSG), the Flensburg-based shipbuilding firm, as the 100th company to join MCN.
MCN – All Hands on Deck
In addition to Kiel, MCN also opens offices in Hamburg and Elsfleth and starts to pick up speed with three regional offices in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. In May, the official inaugural event is held in the Maritime Museum in Hamburg with over 200 guests in attendance.
Three federal states – one maritime cluster Northern Germany
Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein decide on joint cluster management in the form of the "Maritime Cluster Northern Germany" (MCN). The entity responsible for the project is Wirtschaftsförderung und Technologietransfer Schleswig-Holstein GmbH headquartered in Kiel.