EPSRC Industrial Centre for Doctoral Training in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE)

A consortium of the Universities of Edinburgh, Exeter, Strathclyde and Swansea supported by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) will run the Industrial Centre for Doctoral Training for Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE). This partnership offers a unique combination of experience in research, development and knowledge-exchange with major industry stakeholders in the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) sector. This is complemented by the extensive experience with ORE projects of both SAMS, in the environmental and societal impacts, and the Fraser of Allander Institute (Strathclyde), in macro- and micro-economics.

The large scale deployment of ORE technologies is key to the UK achieving its net-zero carbon energy objectives while, at the same time, delivering secure, reliable and affordable energy. Both of these objectives must be achieved with minimal environmental impact. This requires the continuing development of new techniques and technologies to design, build, install, operate, and maintain energy generating machines in a hostile marine environment. Successful ORE projects must be affordable and minimise their environmental impact. Success will create green jobs at all levels in coastal communities across the UK and generate significant economic impact. The ORE sector, which includes companies ranging from world-leading technology development SMEs (like Orbital Marine Energy and MOcean Energy) through to international energy companies as well as engineering majors, consulting engineers and project developers, is creating a massive demand for highly trained scientists and engineers with a broad skill base.

The consortium is ideally-placed to support the industry in meeting these challenges through a conjoined infrastructure, which begins in some of the best academic research centres with leading test facilities and extends through a unique combination of demonstration facilities, ultimately to test and deployment sites. IDCORE will conduct internationally leading research, provide a vibrant training environment and deliver a body of high-quality post-doctoral staff for the sector. This proposal presents a revised training programme in response to changes in the sector (particularly the rapid growth of offshore wind, the commercialisation of tidal stream energy, and the drive to develop floating wind systems for deeper water). It also includes Swansea University for the first time, strengthening our links to developments in the Celtic Sea and bringing significant expertise in computational modelling and aerodynamics.

IDCORE provides a solid background in professional, technical and transferable skills to a diverse cohort of students drawn from a wide variety of STEM backgrounds. It is designed to deliver a tightly-knit cohort of highly-skilled graduates, forming a strong foundation for the future development of the sector. Our training is innovative and multi-disciplinary, using a variety of delivery methods and unique facilities, including: the Kelvin hydrodynamics lab, FastBlade, the FloWave Ocean Energy Research Facility, offshore measurement systems (Wave and ADCP measurement array and surveying), the South West Mooring Test Facility, accelerated fatigue testing facilities (DMAC), survey vessels and field study areas. Through established links with partner organisations including the ORE Catapult and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), students will be placed and, wherever possible, site-trained in large-scale test facilities, prototype demonstration and small-farm demonstration sites. The training will also benefit from the extensive experience of the consortium in advanced engineering analysis and simulation, and access to UK-leading computational facilities. The training package offered by the centre provides our students with unparalleled engineering experience in applied offshore renewable energy R&D.