First Minister unveils new North Sea Innovation Hub

The First Minister’s visiting Aberdeen this afternoon, to unveil the latest innovation hub for North Sea industry.

The centre on Queens Road is capitalising on new technologies, such as robotics and virtual reality, and will help address challenges in the oil and gas sector, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today.

Aberdeen’s new Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s Innovation Hub brings together industry and technology providers to take concepts from initial inspiration to final implementation.

In the last six months, working in partnership with industry, the Centre has approved investment of more than £12 million in 21 projects.

Visiting Aberdeen to open the new Hub, the First Minister said:

“The Oil & Gas Technology Centre has made fantastic progress since opening its doors in February of this year. The new Hub aims to be the engine for innovation in the North Sea oil and gas industry.

“The state-of-the-art facility will speed up deployment of new technologies to help unlock the full potential of the sector, and cement Aberdeen’s reputation as a global centre for innovation and technology development.

“The Hub’s potential is being embraced by an ever-increasing number of companies. They recognise its important role in addressing industry problems and exploring how oil and gas technology can be adopted in other industries, such as renewables.”

Luca Corradi, Innovation Network Director at the Oil & Gas Technology Centre, said:

“We’re delighted the First Minister could be with us today, to open the Innovation Hub. It will be a catalyst for new thinking and new ideas, working in partnership with innovators and oil and gas companies to develop technology solutions for industry challenges.

“The Hub uses the latest facilitation tools and techniques to harness creativity and turn ideas into actions. We look forward to working with schools and universities to create a programme to inspire a new generation of innovators.”

Steve Phimister, Upstream Director UK & Ireland at Shell, said:

“Technology is providing solutions as the oil and gas sector seeks to maximise economic recovery from the North Sea. The Innovation Hub will help in embracing future opportunities as well as reinforcing the skills and capabilities which exist in this region and across the supply chain."