Marine Renewable Energy Directed KE Fellowship: Biofouling in the UK Marine Renewable Energy Industry

Lead Research Organisation: University of the Highlands and Islands
Department Name: The North Highland College UHI

Abstract

When man-made structures, such as marine renewable energy devices, are deployed in the sea they are quickly colonised by communities of organisms growing on exposed surfaces. This marine growth, or biofouling, is often unwanted from an engineering perspective and can have consequences for structural integrity, efficiency, maintenance and functioning of devices. Non-native species are also commonly found on man-made structures, making biofouling a potential biosecurity risk and a possible vector for species invasions.

Factors such as the type of species in the biofouling community, the geographical location and the seasonality of organism settlement and growth lead to a high degree of variability in biofouling properties such as mass, thickness and texture. At the moment marine renewable energy SME's conduct most of their design, efficiency calculations and maintenance planning based on very basic figures for biofouling thickness which do not take into account variability. Technical standards acknowledge the limitations of existing guidance and recommend that whenever possible, site-specific measurements should be used. Unfortunately, due to the newness of the industry, this data is often not available and SMEs and engineers are working with little more than a "best guess" when calculating for the effects of marine growth on devices.

Jen Loxton recently co-hosted a workshop which discussed biofouling on marine renewable energy devices with attendees spanning academia, regulatory bodies, and industry. Together this group identified 119 issues associated with biofouling with operational, financial or environmental impacts. A key priority which was identified to help solve many of these issues was improved knowledge exchange between science, engineering and marine industry. It was acknowledged that there is a lot of biofouling knowledge in the scientific and industrial communities but there is currently no pathway for getting this to the right people to inform renewable energy device design and maintenance decisions. It is this gap in communication which Jen aims to address in this KE project.

During the fellowship Jen will develop and launch a comprehensive online resource which will consolidate biofouling science in an accessible and industry relevant format for the UK marine renewable energy community. This resource will consist of:

- A website of biofouling knowledge, translated for industry
- An interactive tool/app powered by a database of UK biofouling distribution and characteristics

The website will provide a biofouling "one-stop-shop" for stakeholders associated with the UK marine renewable energy industry and help to inform engineering and operational decisions and increase awareness of potential environmental considerations. It is anticipated that it will increase the reach and impact of biofouling science.

A comprehensive database will be populated with biofouling science and species distribution data and will power the interactive tool/app. A user would specify location, deployment type and available observations of biofouling and the tool will generate a tailored suite of industrially relevant statistics and possible management techniques. Full specifications for the tool will be determined during the fellowship but examples of possible outputs include maximum biomass, thickness and rugosity of fouling, expected seasonal variations and known non-native species in the vicinity. The database will continue to grow during the life of the fellowship and beyond through live links with UK databases (e.g. NBN gateway) and the addition of user specified biofouling observations.

Information for the fellowship will be gathered from academia, regulatory bodies and from across the maritime industries, including oil & gas, shipping, leisure boating and the aquaculture industries. The fellow will include data from previous NERC projects (e.g. EBAO and FlowBec), expanding the impact of this research.

Related Projects

Project Reference Relationship Related To Start End Award Value
NE/P006566/1 02/10/2016 29/09/2017 £199,718
NE/P006566/2 Transfer NE/P006566/1 30/09/2017 01/10/2020 £145,113
 
Description NERC ERIIP Full Proposal: A necessary revision to the biofouling standards used by the offshore wind industry 
Organisation British Standards Institute (BSI Group)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator for this project proposal responsible for developing the consortium, arranging meetings and contributions and consolidating into a complete proposal. This project proposal passed to the Full Proposal stage but was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful.
Collaborator Contribution Partners contributed expertise, background information and evidence for the proposal development. EDF Energy in particular played a large role in shaping the proposal over multiple meetings. The consortium is still hopeful that another call will arise into which this proposal can be submitted. On behalf of the consortium I presented a modified version of the original proposal to the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator and it is under consideration for funding in the Spring 2018.
Impact NERC ERIIP proposal NE/R008892/1. Presentation and proposal for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelorator.
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC ERIIP Full Proposal: A necessary revision to the biofouling standards used by the offshore wind industry 
Organisation Cooper Marine Advisors Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator for this project proposal responsible for developing the consortium, arranging meetings and contributions and consolidating into a complete proposal. This project proposal passed to the Full Proposal stage but was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful.
Collaborator Contribution Partners contributed expertise, background information and evidence for the proposal development. EDF Energy in particular played a large role in shaping the proposal over multiple meetings. The consortium is still hopeful that another call will arise into which this proposal can be submitted. On behalf of the consortium I presented a modified version of the original proposal to the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator and it is under consideration for funding in the Spring 2018.
Impact NERC ERIIP proposal NE/R008892/1. Presentation and proposal for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelorator.
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC ERIIP Full Proposal: A necessary revision to the biofouling standards used by the offshore wind industry 
Organisation EDF Energy
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator for this project proposal responsible for developing the consortium, arranging meetings and contributions and consolidating into a complete proposal. This project proposal passed to the Full Proposal stage but was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful.
Collaborator Contribution Partners contributed expertise, background information and evidence for the proposal development. EDF Energy in particular played a large role in shaping the proposal over multiple meetings. The consortium is still hopeful that another call will arise into which this proposal can be submitted. On behalf of the consortium I presented a modified version of the original proposal to the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator and it is under consideration for funding in the Spring 2018.
Impact NERC ERIIP proposal NE/R008892/1. Presentation and proposal for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelorator.
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC ERIIP Full Proposal: A necessary revision to the biofouling standards used by the offshore wind industry 
Organisation Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator for this project proposal responsible for developing the consortium, arranging meetings and contributions and consolidating into a complete proposal. This project proposal passed to the Full Proposal stage but was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful.
Collaborator Contribution Partners contributed expertise, background information and evidence for the proposal development. EDF Energy in particular played a large role in shaping the proposal over multiple meetings. The consortium is still hopeful that another call will arise into which this proposal can be submitted. On behalf of the consortium I presented a modified version of the original proposal to the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator and it is under consideration for funding in the Spring 2018.
Impact NERC ERIIP proposal NE/R008892/1. Presentation and proposal for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelorator.
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC ERIIP Full Proposal: A necessary revision to the biofouling standards used by the offshore wind industry 
Organisation University of the Highlands and Islands
Department Environmental Research Institute
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator for this project proposal responsible for developing the consortium, arranging meetings and contributions and consolidating into a complete proposal. This project proposal passed to the Full Proposal stage but was unfortunately ultimately unsuccessful.
Collaborator Contribution Partners contributed expertise, background information and evidence for the proposal development. EDF Energy in particular played a large role in shaping the proposal over multiple meetings. The consortium is still hopeful that another call will arise into which this proposal can be submitted. On behalf of the consortium I presented a modified version of the original proposal to the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator and it is under consideration for funding in the Spring 2018.
Impact NERC ERIIP proposal NE/R008892/1. Presentation and proposal for the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelorator.
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Bangor University
Department School of Ocean Sciences
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Cooper Marine Advisors Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation DimEye Europe Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation EDF Energy
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Marine Energy Wales
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Natural Resources Wales
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation NatureScot
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Plymouth Marine Laboratory
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation University of the Highlands and Islands
Department Environmental Research Institute
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches proposal: Innovative techniques and technology for the monitoring of biofouling on ocean energy infrastructure 
Organisation Wave Hub Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution I was the principal investigator on a proposal which involved the above partners in the form of a consortium. The project proposal progressed to the final stage of the NERC IMA call but unfortunately was not ultimately successful. I pulled together all partners, met with them on several occasions, both virtually and physically, and consolidated ideas and comments from all parties into the final proposal
Collaborator Contribution All partners contributed to the proposals with the greatest contributions being received from UHI, Bangor, PML and EDF Energy. Partners contributed ideas, content, financial data and supporting documentation to the proposal. UHI, Bangor and PML all contributed Co-investigators who would have led work packages if we had been successful in the proposal. Although the NERC IMA proposal was ultimately unsuccessful we hope that this consortium will be able to resubmit a similar or modified proposal to future calls.
Impact NERC Innovative Monitoring Approaches Full Stage Proposal: NE/R014817/1
Start Year 2017
 
Description Attendance and presentation to the Offshore Wind Accelerator at the Carbon Trust (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact I was invited to attend and present to the Offshore Wind Accelerator on the topic of biofouling and its potential impacts for the offshore energy industry. I had an hour long presentation slot and was invited to attend the private lunch with the group members. The presentation sparked great interest and discussion and subsequently the Carbon Trust Offshore Wind Accelerator are considering the potential for funding a project I proposed on updating biofouling standards for the offshore wind industry.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Attendance at eh NERC in Scotland event at the Scottish parliament 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact I was requested to attend the NERC in Scotland event at the Scottish parliament where I represented my field of research to attendees and helped to embody the range of projects being conducted through NERC across Scotland.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Attendee and facilitator at NERC Design for Decommissioning workshop (Edinburgh) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact I attended this workshop as an attendee and also was a facilitator for the round table discussions, presenting back ideas and findings to the rest of the workshop group. I represented a marine renewable energy perspective in a largely oil and gas focussed group, and also helped to highlight areas (such as marine growth monitoring) that are shared issues for both operation and maintenance stakeholders and decommissioning groups. I hope this may lead to shared research on this topic.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description BBC News article 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The BBC News website featured an article in advance of the showing of the BBC Landward episode which featured an interview with Jen Loxton on her biofouling research . .
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47882493
 
Description BBC Radio Scotland Newsdrive 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact An interview on the distribution of an invasive biofouling species. This interview was conducted as a follow up to the BBC Landward broadcast on the 11th and 12th April 2019.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description BBC Scotland news - clip 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact A short clip from the BBC Landward episode was aired on all BBC Scotland news programmes for the 11th and 12th April 2020.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
 
Description Enterprise roadshow (Thurso) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Hosted and participated in the Enterprise roadshow at my institute. This included presentations from Converge challenge and the royal society of edinburgh. The focus was on enterprise opportunities, idea development and support available for knowledge exchange.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description European parliament visit - marine energy research day (Brussels) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Attended the marine energy research day in Brussels. I contributed content on my project which was presented by a senior member of my institute to the european parliament and I took part in discussions and networking.
The event increased international awareness of the research on marine renewable energy research which is being conducted in Scotland, including my fellowship.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Feature on BBC Landward 
Form Of Engagement Activity A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press)
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Feature on BBC Landward 2019/2020 season, episode 2. It was aired live on the 11th and 12th April 2019 and was available on player for 30 days. Featured an approximately 5 minute feature on my invasive species/ biofouling work.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019
URL https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00043fq
 
Description Invited seminar at the University of Edinburgh 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact I gave a 1 hour long invited presentation on Biofouling for the marine renewable energy industry to attendees from the biology, engineering and geosciences schools at Edinburgh university. Following the talk it was subsequently discussed and arranged for me to transfer my fellowship to the University of Edinburgh.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Marine Alliance for Science and Technology in Scotland (MASTS) Annual Science Meeting (Glasgow) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Attended the MASTS ASM and over the three days I exhibited and launched a board game which is intended to educate and engage primary school children about marine renewable energy in Scotland. The main purpose of the exhibit was to raise awareness amongst the MASTS community and find collaborators to be involved in the rollout of the game in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands.
During the conference I made contact with people from the West coast of Scotland, Inverness region and the outer hebrides who have requested to be involved in future disseminations in their regions.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016
 
Description Natural History Museum visit (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact Attended the Natural History Museum to meet with the museum curators. The main purpose was to give them an overview of my fellowship, and find out about existing collections and datasets on biofouling species which may contribute to my fellowship.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Planet Earth article. 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact Contribution to an article in the NERC magazine, Planet Earth. The article contained a profile piece about my KE fellowship.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
URL http://www.nerc.ac.uk/planetearth/stories/1865/
 
Description Presentation and workshop with Marine Energy Wales, ORE Catapult (Cardiff representative) and WAVE-tricity. 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact I organised and presented at a workshop in Wales with Marine Energy Wale, ORE Catapult and WAVE-tricity. The purpose of the workshop was to introduce my fellowship through a presentation, learn more about MRE developments in Wales and to discuss potential synergies for the future. As a result Both Marine Energy Wales and ORE Catapult joined my consortium for the NERC IMA proposal. I have also had further discussions and continued contact with WAVE-tricity for the opportunity to visit and sample biofouling from their marine renewable energy device.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Renewable UK Wave & Tidal 2017 conference (London) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact I attended the Wave & Tidal 2017 conference with the intention of expanding my knowledge base and contacts beyond Scotland by learning more about the wave and tidal energy work going on in Wales and England. During the conference I had discussions with many future stakeholders including the Xodus group, Energy Technology Centre, Whitford Ltd., Wave energy scotland, Quoceant, APEM, Clyde & Co, Schottel, Offshore renewable institute, Mainstay marine solutions, pembrokeshore college, plymouth marine laboratory, wavehub and fabtest. Following the contacts made at this conference I have arranged for site visits to PML, Exeter university, wavehub, fabtest and mainstay marine solutions in the coming months.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description The Bryden Centre Sandpit Event 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Attended and participated in the Bryden Centre 2 day Sandpit Event in Belfast. This involved presenting my field of work in the form of a poster presentation and being involved in discussions throughout the period to endeavour to develop PhD project proposals. It is anticipated that these proposals will progress into biofouling related PhDs in the next few years as part of the Bryden Centre.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Visit and presentation to Wave Hub 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact I attended a site visit to Wave Hub and gave a presentation on my fellowship and potential collaboration options to the management team. Following the visit Wave Hub joined my consortium on my NERC IMA proposal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Visit to Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (Glasgow) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Attended the ORE Catapult offices to meet with the regional representatives for offshire renewable energy for England, Wales and Scotland. The main purpose was to give them an overview of my fellowship, achieve an understanding of their priorities over the next 3 years and find collaborative areas which they could contribute to and therefore ensure that my fellowship will meet industry needs for greater impact.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Visit to Plymouth Marine Laboratory for meeting about potential biofouling related affinities/collaborations 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Local
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Attended PML for a site visit and met a number of scientists involved in work that is, or could be, biofouling related. Raised awareness of my KE fellowship and discussed potential future partnerships. Following the visit PML joined my consortium for a NERC IMA proposal.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description Workshop to develop NERC IMA proposal (Birmingham) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact I hosted and led a full-day workshop with Bangor University, University of the Highlands and Islands and Plymouth Marine Laboratory in order to develop and refine the NERC IMA proposal. As a result the NERC IMA proposal was submitted to the Full Proposal stage, although it was ultimately unsuccessful.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2017
 
Description visit to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), an institute of the Univeristy of the Highlands and Islands (Oban, Scotland) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Third sector organisations
Results and Impact I hosted a two day visit to SAMS for visiting scientists from WavEC, Portugal. During the day we met with a variety of marine scientists, conducted a presentation for SAMS on the marine energy work in Portugal and discussed potential future collaborations. WavEC reported an interest in further collaborations which has subsequently resulted in a joint submitted Atlantic Areas EU project, the development of a collaborative scientific paper which is near submission, and follow up meetins with SAMS and WavEC collaborators and myslef in Brussels.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2016