The National Subsea Research Institute (NSRI) today announced the recruitment of a further three leading companies.
Lloyds Register, Shell and Acergy are the latest to become industry members of the research facility. They join BP, Subsea 7, Chevron, Technip, Total, Nexen and Talisman – bringing the total to 10 and moving NSRI towards its target of 20 company members by the end of the year.
The announcement came as the four-day Offshore Europe oil show kicked off today at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
More than 40,000 visitors from all corners of the globe, including numerous leading figures from the energy industry, are expected.
NSRI was established by Subsea UK and Aberdeen, Dundee and the Robert Gordon universities to provide a focus for the development of subsea technology and expertise. It is supported by Scottish Enterprise. Newcastle University has also joined as an academic partner, strengthening its expertise and research capacity.
NSRI aims to ensure, that by the use of leading-edge technology, the UK retains its market-leading position and captures a significant share of the global subsea market.
The institute brings together industry and academia to conduct research which is aligned with the needs of the industry in both the short and long term both at home and internationally.
Professor Albert Rodger, chief executive of NSRI and head of Aberdeen University’s college of physical sciences, said: “Our vision is to place the UK firmly at the forefront of technology development and innovation in the years ahead.
“Working with our members, we are in the process of developing a series of flagship research programmes which will feed into the national strategy for the subsea industry over the next two decades. Our primary research focus areas have concentrated on four themes: reliability and integrity, autonomous systems and smart fields, near-seabed civil engineering and fluid dynamics, and near-surface dynamics and floating systems.
“By co-ordinating research efforts in these areas on behalf of the subsea industry, we aim to address the fundamental research challenges and technical barriers, which will optimise subsea field developments in the years and decades ahead.”
NSRI chairman Bill Edgar added: “NSRI has been delighted by the support it has received to date, and by the willingness and enthusiasm with which representatives from industry have devoted their valuable time to become closely engaged in the development of the company’s research programme.
“This is a sign of the much closer working relationships in knowledge transfer and innovative thinking between academics and the business community.
“This relationship will enable us to sustain and prolong the life of the industry in the UK as a leading developer of new technologies and a powerhouse of knowledge development, in what is a dynamic and forward looking global industry. The work of NSRI, as a developer of innovative technology, will also provide strong support to the UK subsea supply chain as it strives to increase its share of the rapidly growing global market in the deepwater oil and gas provinces.”
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