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Tallinn University of Technology Rector Jaak Aaviksoo visited the Small Craft Competence Center of the Estonian Maritime Academy in Kuressaare, main town of Saaremaa, last week.

The Estonian Maritime Academy is a unit of Tallinn University of Technology.

Aaviksoo took part in a discussion on the future of the Small Craft Competence Center, visited the boatbuilding company Baltic Workboats AS and met with Saaremaa municipality elder Madis Kallas.

In 2017, an agreement was signed between Kuressaare town and the Estonian Maritime Academy under which the municipality supported the creation of a position of early stage researcher at the competence center. The junior researcher, Miklos Lakatos, started work in September and is about to begin reading lectures on one subject -- ship stability and seaworthiness characteristics -- to students at the Small Craft Competence Center in spring, said the manager of the Small Craft Competence Center, Anni Hartikainen.

"I am very glad that different organizations are working toward the same goal. The municipality and the university clearly recognize the position of shipbuilding as a key competence of Saaremaa," Hartikainen said.

Tallinn University of Technology announced a competition for the position of professor of shipbuilding last summer and expects to make the final selection among candidates by spring 2018.

The aim of the creation of the new professorship is to expand research in shipbuilding in such a way that there would be a maximum number of outputs to study and industry alike. "This is expensive, since the position of professor requires a critical amount of people in a doctorate program and students -- it works as one system," Hartikainen added.