ENHANCE is about inventing new knowledge that improves the security of employees in trades with complex technological systems. The COVID-19 pandemic put the project on pause, but a new year brings new opportunities.
In 2022, the secondments (researcher exchange) that is the core of the project is restarting. ENHANCE is financed by the world’s largest research program – Horizon2020, and is coordinated by The University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).
–ENHANCE as a consortium has continued working through the pandemic, which nonetheless has delayed the progress of the project. We have been given considerable support from our contacts in the EU Commission, and are now close to presenting a new timeline for the project, says Professor Salman Nazir, project manager for ENHANCE.
New training methods
Rapid technological development has led to more complex systems in the process and maritime industries. To maintain and improve security, employees must achieve the skills needed to handle the systems efficiently.
ENHANCE researchers will develop new training and evaluation methods on how people and technology interact in demanding situations.
– All scientific findings indicate that humans are involved in a large share of accidents, and we wish to find solutions and answers to what causes these errors. Further, we will investigate how to enable operators to avoid accidents through new training methods, Nazir explains.
Few months after being granted full university status in 2018, USN was invited by the EU Commission to coordinate its first Horizon2020 project. Nazir and his consortium succeeded in their third application attempt, in fierce competition with other European applicants.
The project kicked off in 2019, and things were going well until the pandemic put an abrupt stop to the activities.
– Fortunately, all partners are still onboard, and that signals that the faith and commitment to the project is intact, Nazir maintains.
Collaboration and knowledge-sharing
Salman Nazir is also heading the USN Centre for Excellence in Maritime Simulator Training and Assessment (COAST) – research on simulator training in maritime sciences. And he is globally well-known for his expertise in maritime security.
An important aspect of the ENHANCE project is the collaboration between industry and reciprocal knowledge-sharing. Eleven partners from Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Pakistan, China and Malaysia work together in this project. Across borders, researchers share new knowledge, thus enabling them to get closer to their goals in the project.
The project has collected a number of engineers, psychologists and human factor specialists to create good technological solutions. – ENHANCE gives opportunities both for industry partners and young researchers from around the globe, Nazir states.
Horizon 2020 and its successor as of 2021, Horizon Europe, is very central for Norwegian research environments, higher education institutions, industry and public services to solve global challenges.
The European framework programme for research and innovation has a total budget of approximately € 95,5 million, in which about 50% is earmarked for financing large collaboration projects.
