5–6 Nov 2025 Workshop
Fifth consortium workshop, Ribadeo (Spain)
Partners met at GONDAN's shipyard to align on digital tools, business exploitation, cybersecurity and ongoing research.
Horizon Europe · Innovation Action
A Smart Shipbuilding Framework for Europe's shipyards
SEUS connects CAE, CAD, CAM and PDM tools into one open, data-driven, human-centred platform — helping European shipyards design and build ships faster, greener, and with less rework.
About the project
The future of shipbuilding is smarter, not just faster
Digitalization and computational tools can transform the competitiveness of European shipbuilding — but only if existing tools and practices are reshaped to use them well. Done right, the gains show up as higher-quality, faster design and virtual prototyping; better estimates of the impact of greener technologies; more flexible, interoperable data across proprietary tools; stronger cybersecurity; and better support for modern, robotized fabrication.
The purpose of SEUS
SEUS is building a Smart Shipbuilding Framework: an integrated platform combining CAE, CAD, CAM and PDM software into one solution, tested directly at partner shipyards. Alongside it, the project develops human-centric knowledge-management practices and explores NLP and data-driven AI within an Industry 5.0 approach to shipbuilding.
Innovation in action
The project targets process innovation across the shipbuilding value chain: open standards and interfaces for shipbuilding data, AI-assisted routines, CAD/CAE/CAM integration through a smart PDM platform, and closing the loop with maintenance and operations. The ambition is real time and cost savings in engineering, assembly and construction at European shipyards.
Why SEUS
Closing the information gaps in shipbuilding
Shipyards today juggle disconnected design, engineering and production-management systems. SEUS builds the interoperability layer and human-centric practices needed to close that gap.
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Applied research & innovation
Mapping current smart-shipbuilding practices, use cases and knowledge management across European shipyards — led by NTNU, NHL Stenden and the University of Turku.
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Software development
An open, standards-based platform connecting CAE, CAD, CAM, PDM and MES systems — built by CADMATIC, CONTACT Software and SARC.
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Ship designs & shipyards
Identifying real gaps in shipbuilding processes and piloting the tools directly on the floor — with Ulstein and Gondan.
The big picture
Seeing the whole system at once
Early in the project the consortium sketched a "rich picture" — a systems-thinking overview mapping the people, tools, data flows and pain points across the shipbuilding value chain, from design offices to the shipyard floor.
Consortium
Eight partners, five countries
Academia, software developers and shipyards working together across the shipbuilding value chain.
Media & Events
Latest from the project
Workshops, publications and milestones from across the consortium — plus a live LinkedIn feed on the full page.
Feb 2026 Article
SWZ|Maritime: “A New Era of Digital Ship Design?”
How integrated digital platforms and smart collaboration are driving efficiency, innovation and sustainability in shipbuilding.
19 Sep 2025 Pilot project
Pilot release: Data-Driven Shipbuilding learning solution
University of Turku's training modules launched on the DigiCampus platform for practitioners and students.
See every highlight, plus the full feed, on the Media & Events page.
View Media & Events ↗Project overview
See the project in more depth
An overall project overview, published as papers and reports by the consortium.
COMPIT’23 Conference paper
Can European Shipyards be Smarter? A Proposal from the SEUS Project
Gaspar, H.M., Seppälä, L., Koelman, H. and Agis, J.J.G. — 22nd Conference on Computer Applications and Information Technology in the Maritime Industries, Drübeck, Germany, 23–25 May 2023.
Read the paper
NTNU · Jan 2024 Slide deck
Best Practices in European Ship Design and Shipbuilding
Bronson, J. and Gaspar, H.M. — an overview of the state of the art in European shipbuilding, focused on the aspects the SEUS project addresses.
View slides
NTNU · March 2025 Introduction
Industry 5.0 and Insights for Maritime Industry
Yilmaz, G. — an introduction to Industry 5.0 concepts and their relevance for the maritime industry.
Read the slidesLooking for deliverables, publications or the course materials?
The full resources archive is hosted alongside this project's home base.