The Supergen ORE Hub Annual Assembly and Early Career Researchers Forum took place at the University of Plymouth (main campus), Devon, UK on 23 and 24 April 2024.
View resources from the Assembly and ECR Forum:
Annual Assembly - 24 April 2024 (evening networking event, 23 April)
Early Career Researchers Forum - 23 April 2024
About the 2024 Annual Assembly
The 2024 Supergen ORE Hub Annual Assembly – ‘Accelerating Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) to 2040 and beyond’ – aimed to inspire and support the ORE community to address this challenge. Our focus on 2040 uses this milestone as a practical focus on the route to 2050: 2040 is soon enough to be on stakeholder horizons, but far enough to be influenced by transformative research and innovation. The Assembly explored the following themes:
- Accelerating to 2040: Policy, Planning and Consenting: Securing the necessary regulatory approvals, financing and policy frameworks represents a critical step in unlocking the deployment of ORE infrastructure. Streamlining consenting processes, gaining investment confidence, and implementing supportive policies are essential to overcome barriers and accelerate the pace of development. A fourfold speed-up in consenting ORE projects is intended in the British Energy Security Strategy.
- Accelerating to 2040: Transforming Practice: Acceleration to the 2040 milestones cannot be achieved via business as usual – the journey will be eased by positive transformations of sector practices. The shared nature of our climate challenges makes building global partnerships and cross-sector collaborations a key component to create these transformations. By exchanging knowledge, resources, and expertise we can maximise our impact and work together for a clean energy mix for the future that is also sustainable and makes use of latest advances in research and innovation.
- Accelerating to 2040: Supply Chain and People: The scale of the ORE growth to the 2040 milestone cannot be achieved by the current supply chain and requires growth, diversity and additional skills within the workforce. From next-generation wind, wave and tidal energy converters to new technologies for construction and operation, the supply chain must grow and transform to support the 2040 milestones, underpinned by research and innovation. Fostering inclusivity and diversity within the industry not only unlocks the required talent, but also fosters innovation and creates a workforce capable of driving a meaningful and just transition to a net zero carbon economy.
About the 2024 ECR Forum
As part of the Annual Assembly (taking place on Wednesday 24 April), the Supergen ORE Hub will hosted an Early Career Researchers (ECR) Forum on Tuesday 23 April 2024 at the University of Plymouth. The Supergen ORE Hub ECR Community aims to connect ECRs with more senior researchers, in the UK and internationally, to create a diverse and supportive community that nurtures the next generation of ORE research leaders. The Forum is a way for ECRs to come together and share their research and network with colleagues.
