Marine-i, a pioneering program designed to boost the marine technology sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, is organizing an event to showcase the testing capabilities of COAST Lab facilities at Plymouth University.
The event, part of Marine-i Discovery Room series, will provide businesses attending with a ‘masterclass’ in how COAST Lab can be used to test new marine technologies, so that products and services can be developed to their full potential.
Housed in the new Marine Building at Plymouth University, the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory provides physical model testing with combined waves, currents and wind, offered at scales appropriate for device testing, array testing, environmental modelling and coastal engineering.
COAST Lab comprises three main facilities, including the Ocean Wave Basin which is suitable for testing of marine renewable energy arrays, the Coastal Basin and the Sediment Wave Flume.
Steve Rice , Project Manager for Marine-i at Plymouth University, says: “COAST Lab is one of the most advanced testing facilities of its kind in Europe. Businesses attending this event will learn how they can make full use of this exceptional facility, while hearing from leading experts on the exciting opportunities in marine technology.
“Businesses will also be able to meet useful new contacts who could help accelerate their new product ideas to market.”
The free-to-attend event will be held on February 1, 2018.
Marine-i is a £9.3 million collaboration between the University of Exeter, Plymouth University, The Cornwall College Group, Cornwall Marine Network, Cornwall Development Company and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult.
The initiative was supported with £6.8 million secured through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in March 2017.
The project is focused on four interconnected themes including marine energy, marine manufacturing, maritime operations and marine environmental technologies.