ENTWICKLUNGSZENTRUM FUR SCHIFFSTECHNIK UND TRANSPORTSYSTEME EV

Their core work

DST is a German research centre in Duisburg specializing in ship technology and inland waterway transport systems. They develop and test concepts for moving freight more efficiently on rivers and canals — from vessel design and navigation automation to logistics optimization at inland ports. Their work sits at the intersection of naval architecture, transport logistics, and digital navigation systems, with a strong focus on making Europe's inland waterways competitive with road and rail freight.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

DST's early H2020 work (2015–2018) centred on broad innovation in inland waterway transport through Prominent, alongside offshore floating infrastructure in Space at Sea. From 2017 onward, their focus sharpened significantly toward smart, digitally-enabled vessel operations — vessel trains, automated lock scheduling, Galileo-based navigation, and real-time river data integration in NOVIMAR and NOVIMOVE. The trajectory shows a clear shift from general transport R&D toward highly specific digital and autonomous inland shipping solutions.

DST is moving toward autonomous and digitally connected inland vessel operations, making them a strong partner for any project combining waterway transport with AI, satellite navigation, or logistics automation.

How they like to work

DST participates exclusively as a partner — they have not coordinated any H2020 projects, suggesting they prefer a specialist contributor role where they bring deep ship technology and waterway expertise to larger consortia. With 68 unique partners across 13 countries, they operate in medium-to-large consortia and maintain a broad European network rather than repeatedly working with the same groups. This makes them an accessible and experienced partner, comfortable integrating into diverse teams.

DST has collaborated with 68 different partners across 13 European countries, indicating a well-connected position in the inland waterway and maritime transport research community. Their base in Duisburg — Europe's largest inland port — gives them natural connections along the Rhine corridor and beyond.

What sets them apart

DST occupies a rare niche: a dedicated research centre focused specifically on inland waterway ship technology and transport systems, based in Duisburg at Europe's largest inland port. While many maritime research institutes focus on ocean-going vessels, DST's entire mission revolves around river and canal transport — a sector critical to European freight but underserved by research organisations. Their combination of naval architecture expertise with digital navigation and logistics makes them a go-to partner for anyone working on greener, smarter freight transport on European waterways.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NOVIMOVE
  Their largest project (EUR 847,625) and most technically ambitious — combining vessel trains, smart bridge systems, Galileo navigation, and automated lock scheduling into a single inland freight concept.
• NOVIMAR
  Introduced the vessel train concept for inland waterways, a fundamentally new approach to organizing river freight transport that DST continued developing in NOVIMOVE.
• Space at Sea
  Demonstrates DST's versatility beyond traditional inland shipping — applying ship technology expertise to modular floating platforms for multi-use offshore space.