The next generation of subsea engineers are being encouraged to come up with new ideas for underwater equipment for industry.
Subsea UK announced at Subsea Expo that it will sponsor the initiative, organised by the Robert Gordon University, for a second year.
The body which represents the £9billion subsea industry has now committed £20,000 to the Scottish MATE ROV competition.
Friday is traditionally the day when the expo welcomes school pupils and students with the aim of encouraging their interest in pursuing a career in the industry.
The major STEM initiative aims to inspire future engineers through hands-on experience of designing remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) used underwater in the oil and gas, defence, oceanology and marine renewables industries.
Last year’s competition was won by a team from Peterhead Academy who, along with runners up from Mackie Academy, are displaying their winning remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to thousands of delegates at the expo.
Blair Paton, Principal Teacher, Faculty of Technologies, at Mackie Academy, said: “The MATE ROV project allows students the opportunity to take the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom, and apply them to a real life problem, giving a real insight into the world of subsea engineering and technology.
Subsea UK chief executive, Neil Gordon, added: “We were blown away by the creativity and ingenuity of all of last year’s participants, and in particular the teams from Peterhead and Mackie Academy, who have been impressing some veteran engineers with their approaches to designing ROVs at the exhibition today.”
“With all the recent bad news about the oil and gas industry, it is more important than ever to continue to inspire young people about our sector.
The annual event, which is co-ordinated by the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Centre in California in partnership with Aberdeen’s Robert Gordon University (RGU), involves teams made up of pupils from schools across Scotland.
MATE’s international student underwater robotics (remotely operated vehicle or ROV) competition consists of an international event and a network of 28 regional contests that take place across the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Scotland, Egypt, Russia, and Turkey.
The competition consists of four different classes that vary depending on the sophistication of the ROVs and the mission requirements.
Subsea UK joins BP, which has supported the competition since its first year, as headline sponsors, with ROVOP and The Underwater Centre in Fort William providing additional support.