WIREDGOV

Scottish ocean energy companies will be able to bid for a share of a new €7 million funding pot, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing will say today.

At the Ocean Energy Conference in Paris, Mr Ewing will announce Scottish Enterprise will contribute £450,000 towards the first joint call of the Ocean Energy European Research Area Network (ERA-NET) which is opening up opportunities for ocean renewables innovation in Europe.

Companies and research organisations from countries such as the UK, Spain, Portugal, France, Ireland, Belgium (Flanders), Netherlands and Sweden, will be eligible to apply for funding for collaborative research and innovation projects when the fund opens for applications on October 23.

Mr Ewing said:

“The ocean energy sector is a high priority for Scotland which is why I’m delighted to see Scottish Enterprise is investing £450,000 in this fund.

“This is an opportunity for Scottish companies to develop ocean energy technologies and research new tools and methods to tackle some of the key challenges which exist in the sector.

“Our ambition for Scotland’s emerging wave and tidal sectors remains great. Developments such as the MeyGen tidal power project in the Pentland Firth takes our ambition to the next level and further cements Scotland’s reputation as a world leader in deploying renewables technology.

“We know that the successful harnessing of ocean power takes hard work and persistence which is why we are determined to support those in the industry.

“By working with our colleagues in Europe to research clean, green energy we are opening up opportunities for communities and delivering jobs and investment.”

Maggie McGinlay, director of energy and clean technologies at Scottish Enterprise, the lead partner for the Ocean Energy ERA-NET project, said:

"By bringing companies together to work collaboratively, the Ocean Energy ERA-NET project has significant potential to support the growth of this exciting sector.

"Sharing skills and knowledge will help the industry overcome common challenges, such as technology development, as well as increasing export opportunities.

"The project clearly shows the real ambition across Europe for the industry, and we’ve been delighted to work closely with partners from right across the EU in its development."

Notes To Editors

The Ocean Energy ERA-NET is a consortium of 16 research, economic development and energy agencies from nine member states - UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Portugal.

The partners are all responsible for funding or managing research programmes in their country or region, and the EU funding provides support for them to work together to share knowledge and experience, develop a shared agenda and action plan and run joint calls for transnational, collaborative research and innovation projects.