UK Research and Innovation has launched calls for partners to join an energy revolution research consortium, as part of the country’s wider modern industrial strategy.
The energy revolution research consortium aims to deliver a programme of strategic research projects that will meet industrial challenges in developing clean energy which is consumer-focused, locally based, and which can generate significant investment and become economically prosperous.
The launch of the consortium is the final stage of the policy entitled ‘Prospering from the energy revolution’, from the government’s new industrial strategy, announced last year. The policy was also allocated £102.5m in funding to support the country’s development of clean and renewable energy technologies, with the goal of becoming a world leader in the field and meeting the ambitious climate change targets set as part of the Paris Climate Agreement.
The consortium will tackle a world-leading, interdisciplinary research programme alongside the Energy Systems Catapult, which supports technological innovation. It will also provide technical support to demonstrators and design projects, supporting the next generation of clean energy products and services.
What impact is the consortium expected to have?
Professor Sir Mark Walport, CEO of UK Research and Innovation, hailed the transformative potential that the energy revolution research consortium could have not only on the uptake of clean energy in the UK, but on technological advances in renewables around the world.
He stated that the transition to clean and affordable energy is vital, and that the energy revolution consortium “will address this societal and environmental need by unlocking the potential of world-class research and innovation. It will create the new commercial solutions that benefit consumers through reduced bills, that drive economic growth through new businesses and high-value jobs, and do this at a reduced environmental cost.”
Rob Saunders, interim challenge director for the ‘Prospering from the energy revolution’ policy, added: “This is an exciting time for energy innovations. The convergence of new technologies with artificial intelligence, big data, and the internet of things promises a new energy future.” The UK government’s industrial strategy, he concluded, would be vital to support this development.
