In February 2023, the President of the European Commission highlighted a unique generational opportunity for the European Union (EU) to secure its industrial leadership in the growing net-zero industrial value chains. The EU is committed to spearheading the twin transitions of digitalisation and energy system transformation and turning skills into high-quality jobs. The POTENT (‘Ports as Energy Transition Hubs’) doctoral training network will explore the strategic role of Europe’s ports in this transition. It brings together a multidisciplinary network of academic and non-academic partners to provide interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral research training for 15 doctoral candidates (DCs). The training is structured into thematic work packages: 'Transition Infrastructure', 'Socio-Techno-Economic Analysis', and 'Port Governance and Business Models'. POTENT is designed as a leadership and inclusion platform with an encompassing approach for securing gender equality in recruitment, supervision and training, and in research design. The DCs are supervised by at least three academic and one non-academic supervisor. Academic supervisors are primarily Category A Researchers, guaranteeing high-quality research training. Non-academic supervisors serve primarily in mid-management and executive roles in world-class organizations across the energy transition system. Guided by Innovative Doctoral Training principles, POTENT strengthens excellence, interdisciplinarity, global mobility and networking – incorporating 15 academic and 18 non-academic secondments. The key innovative aspects of POTENT include state-of-the-art knowledge integration and multidisciplinary research. The programme offers robust career development support through a combination of local, network, and external skills training, complemented by rigorous quality assurance measures. The DCs will acquire the necessary know-how and transferable skills to support the green industrial policies of the EU.

Contributing to reach the European Green Deal objectives and the Europe 2050’s goals, the SEANERGY Project aims to provide a solution for exploiting the untapped potential of EU-ports energy’s system by implementing the SEANERGY Master Plan which assesses stakeholders to execute the necessary activities towards transforming ports, regardless of their geographical context, into active members of the clean energy and fuel generation grid of EEZ. Activities such as training, reskilling, awareness spreading and communication channels creation, will set the basis of the green port transitioning, creating spaces of dialogue and teaching among all agents of the industry (private and public), which will, in turn, boost the development and integration of these technologies, along with prepared professionals that will be able to manage and implement them promptly, securely and efficiently. The SEANERGY project will be developed in 3 stages: (1) understanding of actors and port E&F systems and identifying limitations; (2) developing the Master Plan and Handbook, which will serve as a training manual for stakeholders, as well as implementing the Industry-Academy programme to train future professionals in clean energy technologies and fuels and how to apply the knowledge in ports; (3) expanding the scope of the Master Plan beyond Europe.