Monday, October 21, 2013
The Government has sanctioned a €1.3m investment to provide vital infrastructure at a national maritime and energy research cluster which aims to create 4,000 jobs by 2025.
The money will be spent in and around the Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster (IMERC) campus in the lower harbour area in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, to develop serviced sites — with access roads, wireless facilities, and broadband — to specifically attract foreign direct investment. IMERC is a partnership between scientists drawn from Cork Institute of Technology, University College Cork, and the Irish Naval Service. The campus is already home to cutting-edge research in the maritime and renewable energy sector. Earlier this year, the sod was turned on the €15m Beaufort Lab research facility. The project will create up to 200 construction jobs, with up to 135 full-time researchers expected to take up positions once Beaufort is completed next year. They will conduct research into harnessing wave, tidal, and wind energy. The centre, which has already secured over €50m in funding from European programmes and Science Foundation Ireland, will also house the National Ocean Test facility which will have the world’s largest, wave-testing tank. Seán Sherlock, the innovation minister, welcomed the latest investment in IMERC, which was announced in the budget. “The development of this site will be key to delivering jobs within this campus precinct,” he said. “I will be making further announcements in the near future on the renewable energy potential of this site.” An economic study by the University of Liverpool indicates that the site could host anything up to 4,000 jobs by 2025. The jobs will be created in four key areas — marine energy including off-shore gas, oil and renewable energy; shipping logistics and transport; maritime security and safety; and marine leisure.