Maritime transports are to be regarded as a self-organized ecosystem (Kay et al., 1999) characterized by sub-optimization where historically each actor to has optimized its own operations, often giving rise to inefficiencies as a whole. In recent years however, digital transformation has challenged this by providing means for enhanced transparency in data sharing and situational awareness, enabling better coordination and improved efficiency on the whole (Lind et al. 2018a). Digital transformation drives the possibilities of creating new value by enabling higher degrees of connectivity between actors, digitally twin physical objects, drawing patterns of behaviour based on extensive sets of historical data, as well as harmonizing data sharing through standardized interfaces and communication protocols (e.g. Almirall and Casadesus-Masanell 2010; Gassman et al. 2010; Lakhani et al. 2006). To break existing patterns of behaviour and to avoid the creation of proprietary solutions that feed sub-optimization, there is a need for new inspiration and perspectives that capitalize on the opportunities that digital transformation provides. From an open innovation point of view, this means that innovators both having experience from the sector as well as from other sectors would come together, come up with, and provide new applications not previously possible or never thought about before. A core capability that the ecosystem needs to develop and ensure is data streams made accessible for those that can provide new applications aimed for the single actor and/or clusters of actors, within or outside the maritime sector (Lind et al. 2018).This has also been one of the objectives for Port Collaborative Decision Making (PortCDM), which is a concept that provides guidelines and standards for the data exchange within and between ports, between ships and ports, and between ports and hinterland operators (Lind et al 2018). Such data exchange is necessary if enhanced efficiency during port call operations is to be achieved but also facilitates open 

innovation within the maritime sector. In order to realise that potential, a purposive transfer of knowledge between the established actors and potential new service providers has to be established (Chesbrough 2006). We therefore set out to explore How can open innovation intermediaries accelerate acquisition in an ecosystem through the management and throughput of knowledge transfer?We address the question through a longitudinal study by applying an action research approach involving actors from the local port and students from three bachelor programs. Before we describe the specifics of the research methodology, we outline our theoretical framework in terms of how knowledge transfer can be framed within an open innovation ecosystem. After the research methodology we detail the five iterations and then discuss the effect on knowledge transfer within the ecosystem. Finally, we conclude and give directions on future research.