A €9.7m cross-border research centre for renewable energy projects has opened at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Bryden Centre for Advanced Marine and Bio-Energy Research will recruit 34 PhD students across the marine and bio-energy disciplines.
The centre is funded by the EU’s Interreg VA Programme and managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). The project will be co-funded by the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in the Republic.
Participating institutions include Queen’s University Belfast, University of the Highlands and Islands, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ulster University and the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute.
Research at the centre includes the use of tidal power at Strangford Lough and the North Antrim Coast, ocean energy sites in western Scotland, as well as the potential for wave and tidal power generation in Donegal.
Queen’s University acting vice-chancellor James McElnay said: “The role of Queen’s University in leading the Bryden Centre for Advanced Marine and Bio-Energy Research is substantial to the university and to the entire renewable energy sector in Northern Ireland and Ireland, producing vital cross-border research.
“Queen’s is already renowned for our research in this area through the Centre of Advanced Sustainable Energy. This partnership will continue to build and expand our expertise and help to develop the next generation of leaders in renewable energy research and education.”
Minister of State Joe Mc Hugh said: “The Irish Government is delighted to be co-funding this exciting project which will help advance valuable research into various renewable energy technologies. I am particularly pleased that this project brings together expertise from colleges and other partners in Northern Ireland, Ireland and Western Scotland.”
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By EBS