Responding to the announcement today (Thursday 11 June) that the UK Government and Welsh Government have now approved the business case for the Pembroke Dock Marine project, of which our Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence (MEECE) is a key project, ORE Catapult’s Research & Disruptive Innovation Director Dr Stephen Wyatt said:
“Today’s funding news is extremely welcome, enabling us to go full steam ahead with the work of our Marine Energy Engineering Centre of Excellence and establish our longer term presence in the region. We are now formally engaging with our academic partners – the universities of Swansea, Cardiff, Bangor and Cardiff Metropolitan. The breadth and depth of their research activity perfectly complements the industrial sector expertise and market knowledge of ORE Catapult.
“Working with Welsh innovators and supply chain companies, MEECE will demonstrate and validate new products, technologies and processes in marine energy, providing ongoing innovation support to reduce costs and risks as these products mature towards commercialisation, something which, drawing on the Catapult’s existing expertise and those of our partners, MEECE is well-placed to provide.”
The Pembroke Dock Marine project is expected to generate £73.5 million a year to the Swansea Bay City Region’s economy and generate more than 1,800 jobs in the next 15 years.