The University of Edinburgh has agreed a partnership with technology centre TECNALIA to help deliver innovations in the offshore renewables sector

Both organisations have been at the forefront of research in the field of offshore renewables over several decades. The University of Edinburgh is a leading European academic institution active in a number of EU funded projects in offshore renewables. TECNALIA is the first private organization to have contracted EU Horizon 2020 projects in Spain.

Having worked together successfully on several EU projects over the last 10 years, the University and TECNALIA have signed a Collaboration Agreement to enable enhanced levels of cooperation. This will enable the development of new technologies, solutions and knowledge for the ocean energy sector.

The partnership will exploit the complimentary research strengths of both organisations to work on offshore renewables R&D collaborative projects in Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe and national programmes in cooperation with innovators, industry and other stakeholders from countries across Europe. Opportunities in emerging international markets such as Chile, Mexico, Japan, China, Taiwan, South-East Asia will also be explored.

Henry Jeffrey, Head of the Policy and Innovation Group, University of Edinburgh, said: “This partnership will enable the University of Edinburgh to collaborate fully with a leading European partner to deliver cutting edge research for the benefit of our many project partners to help offshore renewables to be competitive globally. We are delighted to be working with TECNALIA who have a strong reputation for delivering high impact offshore renewables projects in Europe.”

Jose Luis Villate, Offshore Renewable Energy Director, TECNALIA said: “After many years of working together we are fully aware of the rich offshore renewables research pedigree held by the University of Edinburgh. Utilising our complementary strengths, this partnership will enable TECNALIA to increase our reach and offering, ultimately helping accelerate the development of offshore renewables.”