The first-ever university of research centre could be coming to North Devon

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The first-ever university of research centre could be coming to north Devon.

Councillors have voted enthusiastically to support a pioneering funding bid, seeking approximately £15m to create the Appledore Clean Maritime Innovation Centre, a project which will place northern Devon at the core of maritime developments in the Net Zero age, and see the first ever university research centre in northern Devon.

The centre, at Middle Dock, a site which neighbours the Harland & Wolff shipyard, will establish northern Devon as a global-leading research and development space for collaborative next generation maritime initiatives. It will feature cutting-edge research and industry partnerships to bring the university of Plymouth and other global leading university research partners to northern Devon. The centre will also offer a range of offices, workshops, a wet lab and aquaculture tanks to provide modern facilities for local and national businesses to innovate and grow.

The bid to the Levelling Up Fund will be the largest ever submitted by the district council and is designed to act as a catalyst for local economic growth, by providing an anchor for Floating Offshore Wind activity in northern Devon. With a proposed 4GW of electricity to be generated by the Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) developments, which is equivalent to enough energy to power approximately 3 million homes, FLOW is expected to provide around 3,000 jobs and £682 million in supply chain demand for both the South West and Wales. The maritime sector has played such an important part of the region’s history and this project is seen as a real opportunity to move Appledore into a global maritime future, inspiring young people in the process and creating genuine economic benefits across the community.

Local schools and education providers are really excited with the opportunity to inspire their learners and address deeply rooted social mobility issues in the region. Petroc are key partners in the project and are already developing a range of future maritime-focused courses to ensure the best possible skills pipeline for future sector needs.

The proposals are also fully endorsed by the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere. The Biosphere’s cutting-edge Smart Biosphere work is taking a global lead in the rapidly growing field of environmental intelligence.

Councillor Ken James – Leader of Torridge District Council said:

“Firstly I would like to say how genuinely excited I am that our Council is developing and submitting to the government such a leading and innovative project, which will serve Torridge and our wider community for years to come. The opportunities around the development of offshore wind generation are expected to be as big as the supply chain built around the Hinkley C powerplant development in Somerset, which has had a huge impact on local jobs and business prosperity in neighbouring counties, which continues to this day.

“We aim to stay ahead of the game as the sector is already moving and developing very quickly. It’s great to be collaborating with our partners at Heart of the South West LEP (HotSW), academic institutions, the maritime sector including Maritime UK (SW), local businesses and other public sector bodies in an integrated approach that has such huge potential. This is clearly one of the most important decisions for jobs and growth this Council has taken in recent years and we hope that our bid will be the catalyst that unlocks the investment to bring these plans to fruition.”

Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon - Geoffrey Cox QC MP said:

“I am pleased to support these proposals for funding from Torridge in what I’m sure will be an important asset for the district. It also fits in with the wider bid that I and others are making to the government, for our region to become a centre of excellence for maritime technology and clean energy.”

The new facility will benefit from the University of Plymouth’s world-leading expertise and innovation in environmental intelligence, offshore renewable energy, clean maritime and aquaculture.

Professor Judith Petts CBE, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said:

“Appledore has a proud place in the history of maritime innovation. This scheme offers the exciting and genuine prospect of us working to ensure that rich heritage can continue. The plans for Middle Dock will create a centre where our expertise continues to be channelled in a way that addresses some of the most pressing global challenges, while at the same time reinvigorating the local community. Working with our long-standing partners at Petroc, we can also ensure it boosts current attainment levels while inspiring and educating future generations.”

Torridge officers will now work with representatives from the academic institutions, local industry, and other partners to refine the bid that will need to be submitted by 6th July. An announcement of winning bids is expected later this Autumn.

Sound good? Have your say on the bid and help the next generation for Torridge – go to www.torridge.gov.uk/maritimeinnovationcentre

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