The public sector, private companies and universities have been involved in establishing a new sensor knowledge exchange hub in Scotland.
The National Subsea Research Institute, Robert Gordon University, Dundee University and the University of Aberdeen have provided part of the subsea sensor.
A study conducted by Scottish Enterprise has discovered that the sensor industry in Scotland is valued at £2.1 billion. Subsea UK, a subsea industry body, asserts that Scotland holds 20% market share of control and implementation systems to the global gas and oil industry and supports up to 40,000 jobs in UK of which 70% are found in Scotland.
The Scottish Sensor Systems Centre is expected to be launched in June. It intends to tie research expertise of leading universities in Scotland with UK and the public sector and international business in order to make Scotland a worldwide center for research into sensor systems and other commercial products.
More than 20 industrial partners are collaborating with the universities to carry out the research project, which will focus on subsea and terrestrial fields.
The Scottish Funding Council is providing £1.2 million to the project, industry is contributing £1.32 million, while higher education institutions are offering £1.6 million to support the project.
A board, managed by an industry figure and supported by a business development manager and a small managerial staff in Aberdeen and Glasgow, will run the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre.
Professor Steve Beaumont from the University of Glasgow will lead the terrestrial work and will be assisted by associates from St Andrews, Strathclyde, Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh universities. Dr Richard Neilson from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Engineering will lead the subsea project and work with Robert Gordon and Dundee universities.