The Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult undertook over 500 collaborations with industry and academia in its latest financial year – a 10% increase from the previous year, according to its latest annual impact report.
The activities of the center over the last year include providing support to 134 small and medium-sized companies and participating in 35 international projects, ORE Catapult said.
ORE Catapult was established in 2013 by the UK government as its flagship technology innovation and research center for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy.
The Catapult operates £250 million of test and demonstration facilities and every £1 invested by the UK Government in ORE Catapult funds £21 of research and technology development activity, the center said its annual impact report published on November 30, 2017.
Some of the activities spotlighted in the report include providing testing and validation support for Atlantis Resources’ AR1500 tidal turbine, which was deployed in a tidal array in the Pentland Firth, off Scotland.
Also, ORE Catapult highlighted its participation in international tidal energy initiatives, including the Enabling Future Arrays in Tidal (EnFAIT) , RECODE , and MaRINET2 projects among others.
Andrew Jamieson , ORE Catapult Chief Executive, said: “By working more closely than ever with partners from across industry and academia, and using and investing in our world-leading test and demonstration facilities, we have delivered significant impact across our expanding portfolio of projects and services.
“We will continue to focus on driving innovation and building a strong UK supply chain, which is essential for continued job creation, cost reduction, and powering the UK economy.”
When it comes to plans for the next year, ORE Catapult it dedicate more resources to Innovation Challenge program, and work closely with UK Government to ensure the financial support is in place for the SMEs to exploit the biggest opportunities and challenges in the sector.
Also, ORE Catapult pledged to establish further strategic partnerships with leading universities in the areas of electrical systems and drive trains. The new hubs will see up to £5 million of targeted research funding for offshore renewables, on top of the £2.3 million already committed for blades, the organization said.