Plans to make the South West a superpower in green technologies including driverless boats and submarines have been showcased at a summit in Plymouth.
The £128million proposals set out by the Marine and Environmental Science Accelerator aims to make the region a global scientific leader to combat climate change.
Academics and business leaders have developed the proposals that include:
- The creation of the world’s first testbed for driverless boats and submersibles in Plymouth
- An environmental intelligence hub in Exeter capitalising on the Met Office’s £1.2bn supercomputer to develop real world solutions to climate change.
- A new South West Technopole to start and grow research-driven businesses in every corner of the region.
The team is now working with Government to advance the plans, which has already included meetings with cabinet ministers and officials.
Prof Judith Petts CBE, Vice Chancellor of the University of Plymouth, said: “The potential is vast. This could transform our economy, and make a vital contribution to the future of our planet.”
The summit heard that while the region has major research strengths, is home to the UK Hydrographic Office, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, and the universities of Exeter and Plymouth as well as the Met Office, business investment in research and development is just 32% of the national average.
The Accelerator is intended to change that, by cementing leading positions in climate science and maritime autonomy, and building clusters of high-tech businesses taking ideas out of the lab and into production.
Prof. Petts continued: “We’re fortunate that the areas of research where the South West are strong are so critical to the future.
“We need to understand our changing climate, we need to build floating wind turbines to provide clean energy and to do so requires autonomous vessels taking measurements, servicing the platforms day and night in all weathers. These closely linked disciplines offer vast commercial opportunity to the region.”
During the summit, policy-makers saw climate models predicting that that August temperature peaks could rise by 12.6C in Plymouth, 12.3C in Exeter and soar 13.8C higher in Weston-Super-Mare by the 2070s compared to the 1980s.
The group, which included the heads of government laboratories, also saw wave machines, ship simulators and a stark demonstration of how ports can be blocked through cyber-attacks, unless the right protections are put in place.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Exeter, Prof Lisa Roberts, said: "In the years ahead, universities, businesses and government must work together to move to a low carbon future. We’ve got the skills, the knowledge and the passion here to lead the way in shaping that future.
She explained that research alone isn't enough.
"You have to combine the research with initiatives to enable businesses to tap into this research to start up, innovate and grow to deliver the well-paid jobs the South West needs.
“This is an incredible opportunity for Britain – and the South West specifically – to lead the world in research vital to our futures."
The Marine and Environmental Science Accelerator has been developed through the South West's participation in a Government-backed programme run by America’s prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program, or REAP, analyses data on an area’s scientific and business performance to understand how research can help drive economic growth.
Investigations by MIT have shown that for every job created in high-tech businesses, five more are created in the wider economy.
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