Pushing hard for progress in Britain’s move to become a leading low carbon economy government today announced support for green engineering skills and appointed a new advisory group for the Green Investment Bank
Business Secretary Vince Cable today pledged £6.5 million to support the development and delivery of a new generation of engineering leaders in renewable energy.
The government money will be poured into a new Industrial Doctorate Centre in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE). Promising engineering students from 50 of the UK’s leading providers of engineering degrees will have the chance to form the first intake at the centre.
IDCORE is intended to have industry links and the commercial application of research at its core.
Partners like EDF Energy, Shell and Rolls-Royce, will work with students to develop their skills. Training will be focused on leveraging innovative future technologies for projects such as the design of cost-efficient new windmill blades or testing the effectiveness of wave energy installations.
The University of Edinburgh, is among the institutions set to help deliver the new doctorate and Dr Cable visited the university today to speak of his hopes for the project and for the growth of Britains green economy .
Other academic partners for IDCORE include Strathclyde and Exeter universities
In the long term IDCORE will be funded through the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Showing the depth of government commitment to green growth an announcement was also made today naming the new members of the Green Investment Bank Advisory Group.
The group will comprise of nine members and will be chaired by Sir Adrian Montague. The group is responsible for advising the Green Investment Bank on strategic decisions.
The Green Investment Bank has come to sit at the core of government policy formation with regards to the transition to an economy with a far greater low carbon industry composition.
Commenting on his appointment Sir Adrian Montague said: “I have worked closely with Vince Cable to select the nine members to join me on the Green Investment Bank Advisory Board. They all bring a wealth of experience with them and I can’t wait to start work with the group during this critical and exciting time in the development of the Green Investment Bank.”
