On 18.-19.11.2010 the kick-off meeting for the Baltic.AirCargo.Net project was held in the premises of the Representation of Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania in Berlin.
The event was organized by the project management of the Wismar University. From the German side, the Wismar University and the second project management team associated German partner, the research alliance “High Competence Network” (HCN) were present. To start the event the project partners from Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Latvia, Poland, Sweden and Belarus were welcomed. The Wismar University was represented by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Prof. Dr. Joachim Winkler, Prof. Dr. Gunnar Prause as project director and project manager Anatoli Beifert. The Institute of Aviation was represented by manager of Institute’s work in the project, Mr. Wojciech Miksa and Mr. Bartosz Dzieugieł.
As previously reported, the monitoring committee for the INTERREG IVB Programme in the Baltic region approved the project “Baltic.AirCargo.Net” in its meeting on 10.6.2010. After a negotiation phase between the lead partner, i.e. the Wismar University, and the INTERREG – Office in Rostock a new perspective for the future of the air cargo market in the Baltic region will be developed with project partners from Germany, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Belarus and Great Britain in the next three years and with a budget of around EUR 3 million. Through the strengthening of the air cargo sector and a better logistical access to the southern parts of Europe and to Russia, Central Asia and China, the project aims to bring new economic impulses.
In his opening speech, Prof. Winkler pointed out that the Faculty of Economics identified the logistics as a future market for Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania a long time ago and developed specific new offers like the master programme “Digital Logistics and Management” and offers these successfully. “Our study offers can only be successful in the long term if we succeed to cooperate in the field of research, and here especially in the international context, with renowned partners from Europe and the Baltic region. This is done at the Faculty of Economics in a number of EU – projects for some time; however, for the first time the issue of air cargo is focused, so that the logistics competencies in Wismar will be further developed.
The awarded project idea is based on the finding that in the Baltic region although there are a number of well-developed regional airports, they are currently isolated from the international air cargo market and not see their future prospects. “Especially the powerful cluster structures around the Baltic Sea can get new growth impulses with a new common IT infrastructure and new networking concepts in air transport logistics, such as the concept of the Flying Trucks,” said project leader Professor Prause. “Furthermore, through the recent events one of the long term planned project issues, namely safety in air transport, becomes very up-to-date,” said Prause further.
At the kick-off event in Berlin not only the representatives of project partners, but also Mr. Hans – Christian Stigaard, who led the most important airport in the Baltic Sea Region, Copenhagen, until 2004 and currently works as a consultant in EU – area hold a speech. During the meeting it became clear that the air cargo sector is a logistical future market, which has been paid too little attention to in the Baltic Sea Region so far. Especially in connection with the classic transportation modes such as water, rail and road, the Baltic.AirCargo.Net – project will design and develop new concepts and business models in the next 3 years for the air cargo sector, which closely relates to the three already running logistics projects Scandria, EWTC2 and TransBaltic. In particular, for Mecklenburg – Western Pomerania, with its good logistical connections in the Baltic and to China, new development prospects will arise.
More information about the Baltic.AirCargo.Net-project can be found on the website:
www.balticaircargo.net.
Contact data:
Lead Partner – Wismar University of Applied Sciences: Technology, Business and Design
Prof. Gunnar Prause, Phone: +49 3841 753 297, e-mail: gunnar.prause@hs-wismar.de
Anatoli Beifert, Phone: +49 3841 753 634, e-mail: anatoli.beifert@hs-wismar.de .
Institute of Aviation
Wojciech Miksa: +48 846 00 11 int. 713, e-mail: wojciech.miksa@ilot.edu.pl
The following picture was taken at the kick-off event in Berlin.
