N. E.R.C. National Environment Research Council

Maritime academic facilties in the United Kingdom

 

 

 

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), with the Technology Strategy Board, are running a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition to develop technology-enabled solutions addressing long endurance marine unmanned surface vehicles. Strategic plans of both of these organisations call for new capabilities in marine robotics, for environmental research and for defence and security respectively. Recognizing their common interests, and the potential for dual-use technology to enable persistent presence in the marine environment, innovative solutions are sought from industry.

The competition will have two phases. Phase 1 is intended to show the technical feasibility of the proposed concept. The development contracts placed will be for a maximum of 3 months and £50,000 (inc. VAT) per project. Phase 2 contracts are intended to develop and evaluate prototypes or demonstrators from the more promising technologies in Phase 1, the anticipated Phase 2 funding will be about £800,000.

New and novel approaches to providing long endurance marine unmanned surface vehicles are sought. We encourage fresh lines of thought, ideas that bring technologies to bear from outside the marine sector, and ideas that exploit energy from the environment. The concept is for a vehicle to be able to transit out from a shore base to an operating site offshore, maintain a persistent presence either as a virtual surface buoy, maintaining position, or to undertake transects, before finishing with a transit back to shore for recovery. Recognising the critical importance of providing sufficient energy for propulsion, solutions that obtain energy from the environment are particularly welcome. Low carbon and low emission solutions are also encouraged, but there is no exclusion of any technological solution that could deliver cost-effective vehicles. Hybrid solutions utilising combinations of two or more technologies may well be appropriate.

 

 

Machael Poole and David Maclean with the Autonaut  ASV Global's C-Enduro

 

Phase 2 competition winners (left) MOST AV Ltd of Chichester and (right) ASV Global Ltd of Portchester.

 

 

NERC IMPACT AWARDS 2015

 

To mark its 50th anniversary, NERC is pleased to announce its inaugural Impact Awards.

The awards will recognise and reward NERC-funded researchers, as individuals or teams, whose work has had substantial impact on the economy and society. The awards will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony in London on 27 January 2015, showcasing the researchers, their work and the impact of the science that NERC funds.

THERE WILL BE FOUR AWARD CATEGORIES:

1. Economic Impact Award

Recognising research that has achieved exceptional economic benefit.

2. Societal Impact Award

Recognising research that has achieved exceptional social, cultural, public policy or service, health, environmental or quality of life benefits.

3. International Impact Award

Recognising research that has achieved exceptional economic and/or societal impact outside the UK.

4. Early Career Impact Award

Recognising an early career researcher who has achieved exceptional economic and/or societal impact within the UK or internationally.

A winner from one of the four categories will be selected to receive the Overall Impact Award, in recognition of the outstanding impact of their research.

The winner of each category will receive £10,000 and the runner-up £5,000, to further the impacts of their research. The Overall Impact Award winner will receive an additional £30,000.


ELIGIBILITY

You can apply for an award yourself, or nominate someone else. Applicants and nominees must meet the following criteria:

a. Were within an eligible research organisation at the time of NERC-funding.

b. The impactful research and/or knowledge exchange and translation activity has been, or is currently funded by NERC.

c. Have met all conditions of their funding to date.

d. Early Career Impact Award: applicants must be a current NERC-funded PhD student or have no more than eight years of full-time work experience from the PhD certificate date to the closing date of the competition.

NOMINATE or APPLY

Applications will open Wednesday 25 June 2014. The closing date for applications is 16:00 Wednesday 10 September 2014.

You are advised to read the application guidelines carefully before submitting your online application.

Application guidelines (PDF)

 

http://www.nerc.ac.uk

 

JUNE 2003

 

The next generation of ocean-going robotic vehicles will be developed by two cutting-edge technology companies from the South Coast of England, working with the UK’s National Oceanography Centre.

ASV Ltd of Portchester and MOST (AV) Ltd of Chichester have won contracts under the Government-backed Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) to develop the vehicles – known generically as Long Endurance Marine Unmanned Surface Vehicles – that will carry out sustained marine research over long periods. The Technology Strategy Board and Natural Environment Research Council jointly fund the programme with supplementary funding of additional elements from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). 

The SBRI programme has moved into the second phase with ASV and MOST (AV) selected on merit from the five companies that won Phase 1 awards to manufacture working prototypes of their proposed vehicles. To demonstrate capability as part of the year-long programme, the vehicles will be extensively tested, both in Southampton Water and off Oban, home of the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS) who make extensive use of autonomous vehicles in their research and who were represented in the selection process for the contracts.

When developed, the vehicles, which operate on the sea surface rather than at depth, will be invaluable platforms for gathering scientific data from the ocean over periods of several months. A wide range of sensors to take measurements beneath and above the ocean surface, together with satellite navigation tools, communications for command and control and for data transfer to shore, are all readily available. The vehicles will demonstrate several feasible technologies to provide the energy necessary for long deployment.

The selection process was overseen by a panel of scientific and technical experts, coordinated by the Marine Autonomous and Robotic Systems (MARS) facility based at the National Oceanography Centre. MARS provides autonomous and remotely operated vehicles to the UK’s marine science community on behalf of the Natural Environment Research Council.

Geraint West, Head of National Marine Facilities at NOC, of which MARS is a part, said: “Long Endurance Marine Unmanned Surface Vehicles will make a major contribution to the ability of scientists to take measurements from the ocean, which are currently grossly under-sampled in space and time. The process that selected MOST (AV) and ASV was very rigorous and we are confident that we have two excellent partners to take this exciting programme forward. I would like to offer both my congratulations.”

The SBRI programme is promoted by the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s innovation agency. It is designed to use the power of government procurement to drive innovation and provides opportunities for companies to engage with the public sector to solve specific problems. Competitions for new technologies and ideas are run on specific topics and aim to engage a broad range of organisations. SBRI enables the public sector to engage with industry during the early stages of development, supporting projects through the stages of feasibility and prototyping.

Director of MOST (AV), David Maclean, said: “We are delighted to have won this SBRI competition and we look forward to working closely with both the NOC and Dstl staff to demonstrate a production prototype of our unique, Autonaut® wave powered vessel technology. The capability of marine robotic surface vessels to provide persistent surveillance of, and data gathering from, the oceans is advancing rapidly and the Autonaut will add a new dimension to this role.”

Dan Hook, Managing Director of ASV said: “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with NERC, SBRI and Dstl on this exciting project. We have been developing unmanned surface vessels for over ten years and see huge potential for this new long endurance craft in gathering important scientific data and contributing to national security in a cost effective manner. We have developed the C-Enduro vessel to scavenge energy from its surroundings but also carry a micro-diesel generator for added assurance that it can navigate safely in any conditions. We are working with an excellent consortium including Cosworth, Cranfield University and Hyperdrive Ltd to bring cutting edge technology for energy generation, autonomy and safe navigation.”

Stephen Browning, Head of SBRI at the Technology Strategy Board, said: “The Technology Strategy Board is delighted with the success of this first SBRI competition within the Research Councils, overseen by the National Oceanography Centre. Robotics and Autonomous Systems form one of the Eight Great Technologies that the UK Government is focussing on. It is encouraging to see the quality of the innovative solutions resulting from the relationships between SMEs and NOC, developed through this SBRI competition to address future challenges.”

 

The competition open and close dates 17 September to 5 November 2012, were so incredibly tight, that only those in the local community had any chance of applying. Criticism was leveled at NERC on this issue. Hence, the term 'competition' is used in the broadest possible sense. Unless that is, there was a national advertising campaign that we are not aware of?

 

 

COLLABORATING WITH NOC

 

Collaboration with industry adds to the continued success of the National Oceanography Centre. By working with the Centre's scientists you will have access to:

 

* new ideas and emerging technologies from a wide range of oceanographic and geological disciplines

* a wealth of expert knowledge

* specialised equipment

* links with other Natural Environment Research Council centres and the University of Southampton.

 

The Centre already has strong links with a variety of businesses including the themed research below, but we are actively developing links with a whole range of commercial sectors to ensure that our science is relevant to business needs.

 

* Partnership In Ocean Security (PIOS)

* Renewable energy

 

NOC encourage partnerships between public sector and industry throughout the research cycle, from design through execution to exploitation. As well as commissioned research, you could join a collaborative research programme where we can leverage access to research funding.

 

Projects could range from the planning, design and execution of full ocean surveys through to providing expert scientific or technological advice during a few days consultancy. There a variety of ways for organisations to access our research outputs and to participate in collaborations with us, for details of the full range of mechanisms please see our Working with NOC page.

 

Some examples can be found on our Impacts and Case studies page. 

 

 

STUDENT PROJECTS

 

An Undergraduate, masters or PhD programme influenced by your company’s research requirement conducted at NOC under the supervision of an academic and the company.

 

Access funding to use our training and exchange opportunities

 

You could help to provide - and benefit from - an industrial training opportunity. The following schemes are available which NOC needs industrial partners for:

 

Collaborative Awards in Science & Engineering (CASE) Open Studentships

 

The CASE Studentship Open Competition promotes collaboration between the research community and the end-users of research.

 

A CASE studentship is a PhD studentship during which the student enhances their training by spending between 3 and 18 months with the CASE partner in a workplace outside the academic environment.

 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

 

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is a UK-wide programme enabling businesses to improve their competitiveness, productivity and performance.

 

A KTP achieves this through the forming of a Partnership between your business and an academic institution (such as university, further education college or research and technology organisation), enabling you to access skills and expertise to help your business develop.

 

Royal Society Industry Fellowship schemes

 

The Industry Fellowship scheme promotes the exchange of knowledge between academia and industry by establishing personal and corporate links between the two sectors. This should act as a foundation for long-term collaboration and development.

 

NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowships

 

Part time Knowledge Exchange Fellowships are available in any area of policy, business or third sector with the aim of boosting the impact of any type of NERC funded science.

 

Research Council and European Commission Research Grants

 

We encourage partnerships between public sector research and industry throughout the entire research lifecycle, from design through execution to exploitation. Joining a project as a Project Partner, Steering Committee member or providing a letter of support can help ensure the science we undertake is focussed to be relevant to your interests.

 

Industry research funding

 

Technology Strategy Board

 

The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is the national innovation agency whose goal is to accelerate UK economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. TSB brings organisations together from the business and research communities to focus on opportunities, and investing in the development of new technology-based products and services for future markets.

 

Energy Technology Institute

 

The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is a UK-based public-private partnership formed from global industries and the UK Government. It operates at large-scale and is tasked with developing and demonstrating engineering and technology that will help the UK meet its legally binding 2050 carbon reduction targets under the Climate Change Act.

 

 

COMMERCIALIZATION

 

The Centre also has a strong record of transferring technologies to companies, through collaborative projects and licensing opportunities, to bring innovative products to the market place. 

 

 

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FUNDING CONTACTS

 

Administration of research grants, fellowships and training grants

 

The UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS) - formerly the RCUK Shared Services Centre (SSC) - is responsible for the processing of grants (research grants, fellowships and training grants) on NERC's behalf.

All process queries should be sent to the contacts below:

 

Je-S registration, submitting applications and maintenance requests

 

  01793 444164

 

Questions relating to peer reviewing and peer review meetings (panels, boards, etc)

 

  01793 867018

 

Questions on maintenance and updates to existing awards

 

  01793 867121

 

Enquiries related to individual studentships funded on NERC grants should be sent to , not UKSBS.

 

You can use the Research Councils' Joint electronic submissions (Je-S) to manage your current NERC grants.

 

NERC funding awards policy

 

For advice on NERC funding awards policy, or to make a complaint concerning research grants, training awards, fellowships and peer review, please send your query in an email to the following NERC teams:

 

Studentships

 

Enquiries about studentships should be sent to .

For urgent queries please contact:


Anne Priest  01793 411723 

 

Fellowships

 

Enquiries about fellowships should be sent to .

For urgent queries please contact:


Dr Avril Allman  01793 411665 

 

Research grants

 

Enquiries about grants should be sent to .

For urgent queries please contact:


Andrew Richardson  01793 411526 

 

Assessment process

 

Enquiries about NERC's assessment processes and peer review should be sent to .

For urgent queries please contact:


Gemma Truelove  01793 411794 

 

NERC science area contacts

 

Atmospheric science - Head of discipline:

Caroline Culshaw  01793 418025 

 

Science programme officer:

Simon Howe  01793 418015 

 

Earth science  -  Head of discipline:


Dr Chris Franklin  01793 411708 

 

Science programme officer:


Rachel Leader  01793 411595 

 

Earth observation  Head of discipline:

Bill Eason  01793 411961 

 

Science programme officer:

Dr Nichola Badcock  01793 413172 

 

Freshwater science  Head of discipline:

Ruth Kelman  01793 411558 

 

Science programme officer:

Beth Taylor  01793 411752 

 

Marine science - Head of discipline:

Dr Mike Webb  01793 411520 

 

Science programme officer:

Rachel Leader  01793 411595 

 

Polar science - Head of discipline:

Caroline Culshaw  01793 418025 

 

Science programme officer:


Jodie Clarke  01793 418004 

 

Science-based archaeology - Science programme officer:

Anne Priest  01793 411723 

 

Technologies & infrastructure - Head of discipline:

Bill Eason  01793 411961 

 

Terrestrial science  -  Head of discipline:

Simon Kerley  01793 411797 

 

Science programme officer:


Debbie Mason  01793 411667 

 

 

GENERAL CONTACTS

 

National Oceanography Centre
University of Southampton Waterfront Campus
European Way
Southampton SO14 3ZH
United Kingdom


Tel: +44 (0)23 8059 6666

National Oceanography Centre
Joseph Proudman Building
6 Brownlow Street
Liverpool L3 5DA
United Kingdom


Tel: +44 (0)151 795 4800

 

 

Joanne Donahoe, Asst Dir Fundraising: development@noc.soton.ac.uk.

 Business Development team: business@noc.ac.uk

SBRI: sbri-noc@noc.ac.uk

 

Website: www.noc.ac.uk/sbri


 

 

LINKS & REFERENCE

 

http://auvac.org/community-information/community-news/view/935

http://noc.ac.uk/

http://www.xylemanalytics.co.uk/index.php

http://www.amc.edu.au/

http://www.gavia.is/

http://www.strath.ac.uk/na-me/

 

 

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2014 media releases

The UK's seven research councils unite to fight AMR

UK science trio called to Washington ocean summit

JASMIN - Environmental science supercomputer upgraded

RCUK commits £14m to UK Energy Research Centre

NERC commits to research with China

Working together to solve sustainable agriculture challenges

New polar research ship for UK

New Centre for Environmental Geochemistry to open in Nottingham

NERC Research Centre achieves bronze Athena SWAN award

New research projects announced to help save UK forests woods trees

Study effects recent winter storms' impact southwest UK

Report highlights NERC achievements

UK water technology sector to boost economy by £8.8bn by 2030

NERC invests scheme solve business problems environmental data

Science budget allocations 2015-16

NERC signs MoU with multinational energy company Shell

NERC invests £4.6 million in Big Data

Research effects storm surges sand dunes aid coastal management

2013 media releases

Entrepreneurial scientists scoop prize money at competition finals

NERC announces the winner of its first photo and essay competition

NERC supports growth responsible environmental management energy

Better modelling of tsunami zones could help insurance quotes

NERC signs MoU with global engineering consultancy Arup

NERC invests £100m in environmental science doctoral training

New Earth and Marine Science and Technology centre

Archaeologists rediscover the lost home of the last Neanderthals

Killer whales may have menopause so grandma can look after the kids

Iron in the Earth's core weakens before melting

Science Minister announces projects to monitor ocean currents

Royal Research Ship Discovery to be named by HRH The Princess Royal

Stress a key factor in causing bee colonies to fail

Giant channels discovered beneath Antarctic ice shelf

Female flies keep mating within the family

New project may give insights into the evolution of human teeth

Report highlights radical change needed to tackle avoidable food waste

British public split on nuclear power

Undersea mountains provide crucial piece in climate prediction puzzle

Achilles' heel of ice shelves is beneath the water, scientists reveal

New research shows that the 'landslides season' is changing

Hottest days have warmed four times more than the global average

Jurassic jaws

Ambitious science mission sets off for Antarctica

Climate change will upset vital ocean chemical cycles

Study offers new insight into how cheetahs catch their prey

Researchers pinpoint when the First Dynasty of kings ruled early Egypt

NERC embraces European bioinformatics

Mega-canyon discovered beneath Greenland ice sheet

Robotic food helps scientists understand predators

St Andrews ecologist wins photo prize

European hunter-gatherers owned pigs as early as 4600BC

Epic ocean voyages of baby corals revealed

Warming Antarctic seas likely to impact on krill habitats

Human foot not as unique as originally thought

Alpha males don't have all the advantages

Science spin-out adds colour to forest measurements

Beetles dish out tough love to curb greedy offspring

Plants can change greenhouse gas emissions after warming

Research shows how females choose the 'right' sperm

New web tool improves rapid ash cloud forecasts

Ancient mammal relatives cast light on recovery after mass extinction

Bright birds make good mothers

Wildflowers sown across Bristol to encourage insect life

Global investigation reveals true scale of ocean warming

'Insect soup' holds DNA key for monitoring biodiversity

Bacteria hold the clues to trade-offs in financial investments evolution

Shifting patterns of temperature volatility in the climate system

Study reveals brown trout's tolerance to heavily polluted water

British forests still feel the impact of the 1976 drought

NERC welcomes the UK's strategy for agricultural technologies

Ground-breaking agri-science research showcased in new timeline

Loss of African woodland may impact on climate, study reveals

Scientists discover new variability in iron supply to the oceans

Bees under threat from bumblebee imports

Fossil shows fish had sucker on its back

Latest research defines values which determine public acceptance of energy system change

Manure was used by Europe's first farmers 8,000 years ago

Pentland Firth turbines generate "half of Scotland's electricity"

Greenland ice sheet contribution sea level increase over next 200 years

New ship for UK marine science handed over to NERC

Birds outpace climate change to avoid extinction

Finding the Goldilocks sites to store CO2 underground

Earthworms could help scientists 'dig' into past climates

Rocks can restore our climate - after 300,000 years

Female scientists campaign for change in gender inequality in science

Evidence suggests Antarctic crabs could be native

University of East Anglia research reveals true cost of farming to UK economy

Harvesting sustainable chemicals and energy and sea

NERC funded professor wins 2013 Martha T Muse Prize

CryoSat maps biggest ever flood beneath Antarctica

The quantum secret to alcohol reactions in space

RCUK welcomes government's investment plans  capital infrastructure

Flood Force film launched by Living With Environmental Change

Shale gas resource figure released

NERC research centres among the world's top 100

Older males make better fathers says new research on beetles

Origins of 'The Hoff' crab revealed

Treating infection may have sting in the tail, parasite study shows

Current affairs make life hard for stickleback dads

New appointments to the Natural Environment Research Council

Funders have joined forces to offer £4.5m for research into soil ecosystems

Billion-year-old water could hold clues to life on Earth and Mars

Plants use underground networks to warn of enemy attack

BIOMASS mission given go ahead to launch in 2020

CryoSat-2 mission reveals major Arctic sea-ice loss

UK and USA collaborate in airborne climate science projects

Innovations in soil science will grow the solutions to global food security

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MARINE ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS A-Z

 

 

Australian Maritime - British Ocean Data Centre - Geneve - Hawaii Renewable - NERC - Newcastle Naval

NOC Oceanographic - Plymouth - Portsmouth - Queensland - Seoul Naval - SOTON

Strathclyde Marine - Sussex - TU Delft - USP South Pacific - Webb Institute

Bluefish Bluebird ZCC, zero carbon cruiser, eco marine data centre

 

By cutting the cost of oceanographic survey and speeding up data collection, we will learn more about the oceans, for which the Bluefish ZCC platform could be the ideal robotic ocean workhorse. Based on a stable SWASH hull this design is under development by British engineers. This robot ship uses no diesel fuel to monitor the oceans autonomously at relatively high speeds 24/7 and 365 days a year - only possible with the revolutionary energy harvesting system. The modular hullform is adaptable for automatic release and recovery of AUVs, ROVs or towed arrays, alternating between drone and fully autonomous modes. This vessel could pay for itself in fuel saved every ten years. 

 

BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING - A Bluefish ZCC can be manned or unmanned. It is a scientific work station. Depending on specification, this incredibly versatile design can be put to most uses, even collecting and transporting live samples, with a modified ROV dock - used as a capture and holding tank for marine life, instead of housing a dedicated submersible.

 

This ship uses no diesel fuel in the quest to monitor the oceans at relatively high cruising speeds of between 7-10 knots, 24/7 and 365 days a year. What makes all of this possible is the revolutionary energy harvesting system that provides a power to weight ratio of more than 3kW per ton, with up to 7kW per ton being attainable using more exotic materials. That gives oceanographers the power to do more.

 

OIL SPILLS - Dedicated versions of the Bluefish ZCC platform could be deployed as oil clean-up robots, to cope with disasters like the Deepwater Horizon.

 

PLASTIC OCEANS - Adapted ZCCs operating in SeaNet fashion, could form a fleet to clean up the oceans of harmful waste that is estimated to be some 269,000 tons in size across an area roughly the size of Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This website is Copyright © 2015 Bluebird Marine Systems Ltd.   The names Bluebird™, Bluefish™, SeaNet, Ecostar DC50 and the blue bird and fish in flight logos are trademarks. The color blue is an essential element of the marks. All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.

 

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