#MarineResearch - Up to 77 jobs may be be supported by a new €29 million research centre that's set to put Ireland at the cutting edge of the marine energy sector, as The Irish Times reports.
The SFI Research Centre, Marine Renewable Energy Ireland (MaREI) at University College Cork (UCC) will be part of the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC), which had its annual conference in Cork Harbour last month.
Funded by €19 million from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation via the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), with €10.5 million more coming from industry partners, the new centre has the potential to make Ireland "an international focal point for the marine renewable industry", according to Research Minister Sean Sherlock.
Scientists at the centre will be working on the likes of new offshore wind, wave and other marine energy devices and related infrastructure, as well as new technology and materials to survive tough ocean conditions.
This summer Taoiseach Enda Kenny helped turn the sod on the Beaufort Building at UCC, which will be the flagship development of IMERC and brings together the Hydraulics and Maritime Research Centre (HMRC), Coastal Marine Research Centre (CMRC) and the Sustainable Energy Research Group (SERG) under one roof.