Abstract
On October 18th, 2016, the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) Marine Renewable Energy Forum, in association with the Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme Ocean Energy (ORJIP), brought together 18 experts to address questions of funding for environmental impact-related funding for the marine renewable energy industry. The experts represented a broad range of interests, including industry representatives, consultants, academics, and funding agencies.
The key objectives for the day were:
- To better understand why it has proven to be difficult to obtain funding to address well-defined questions about the environmental impacts of marine renewables; and,
- To identify opportunities to improve the current situation.
Expected outcomes of the day included:
- A better understanding of the key issues affecting funding;
- A recognition of the strengths and weaknesses of the marine renewable energy network;
- Steps towards a vision for effective environmental impact research in the marine renewable sector; and,
- Potential innovative ideas to help focus efforts towards funding effective environmental impact research in the marine renewable energy sector.
A detailed overview of issues addressed and ideas generated from the workshop can be found in the following sections (Detailed Overview).