Ireland: UCC researchers plan clean future

 
Environmental Research Institute (ERI) of the University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland has released its strategic plan for the next four years.

The plan outlines a re-focusing of the research activities of the flagship Institute to address three core environmental challenges, including climate action, circular economy and healthy environment.

The institute, which currently brings together over 300 researchers, including those from the MaREI Centre for Marine and Renewable Energy, is reportedly planning to spend €44 million on environmental projects until 2022.

“From wave energy devices, to production of high-value materials and energy from waste, to protecting the quality of the air in our cities and towns, to working with the United Nations to develop training programs to assess water quality, the ERI is building capacity in Ireland to address the many environmental challenges we currently face,” Anita Maguire, Vice President for Research and Innovation at UCC, was quoted as saying by the Irish news portal BreakingNews.

The ERI was established in 2000. It has research facilities at its two dedicated buildings in Cork and Ringaskiddy along with environmental research facilities across the UCC campus.

The ERI Buildings have over 7000 m2 of offices, laboratories, workshops and incubation suites for industry.

Located in Ringaskiddy, ERI’s Beaufort Building houses Ireland’s National Ocean Test Facility (LIR-NOTF) which has a suite of wave tanks and electrical rigs to support the offshore renewable energy sector and the maritime industry.