The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult will be headquartered at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow with an operational centre at the National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) in the North East of England.
The national centre will focus on technologies for offshore wind, wave and tidal power and is designed to bridge the gap between university research and full commercialisation. It will have a UK wide remit, and build strong links with centres of excellence such as Wave Hub and the marine energy park in the South West of England.
Speaking at the launch of the Catapult in Glasgow, business secretary Vince Cable said the UK’s offshore renewable sector could compete on a global scale and had huge potential for growth.
“If we can harness that we will generate billions of pounds for the economy whilst creating thousands of job opportunities at the same time.
“The Catapult centre will be based in a Scottish world-class centre of excellence, part of a collaboration with a centre in the North East of England,” he added.
The announcement is part of the government’s investment in a network of Catapult centres across a number of sectors. The £140m High Value Manufacturing Catapult is already operating across seven locations around the UK, while a £50m Cell Therapy Catapult is to be established in London and a Satellite Applications Catapult and Connected Digital Economy Catapult will be set up later this year.
The Catapult centre programme is managed by the Technology Strategy Board as part of a wider support package for innovation.
