After 14 years of success in matching industry demand with academic research to accelerate the commercialisation of underwater technology, NSRI is to become part of Subsea UK.

Peter Blake, Chairman, NSRI

The stand-alone organisation, originally set up as a focal point for subsea research and development has been working more closely with Subsea UK for the last six years on supporting cross-sector innovation across the underwater industry.

NSRI will now be fully incorporated into Subsea UK as part of an on-going transition towards the establishment of a Global Underwater Hub.

Bringing the organisations together, under the Subsea UK banner, will harness the knowledge, contacts and programmes around technology and innovation to inform and shape a clear, industry-led commercialisation strategy that will be a major pillar of the Global Underwater Hub.

With industry at its heart and funding from both the UK and Scottish Governments, the Hub will have the necessary resources to transform the subsea industry, making sure it is well-placed to capitalise on the opportunities in the energy transition and the blue economy.

It will do this through a focus on increasing exports, collaborating to deliver cross-sector technology and innovation, accelerating start-ups and scale-ups and developing capability and skills.

Peter Blake, chairman of NSRI said:
"The UK’s subsea industry is a major success story with an enviable reputation as a world-leader. With other regions investing heavily in subsea R&D, the UK challenge is to maintain our pre-eminent position. NSRI was established to fill a structural gap in the support for accelerating the commercialisation of technology and innovation within the subsea sector. It has been pivotal in identifying industry challenges and then driving targeted development along a technology roadmap to meet these opportunities.

"NSRI has had notable success, particularly in collaborating across geographies, such as Japan, and across sectors, most notably in defence and offshore wind to explore innovation with applications for multiple markets across the blue economy. The Global Underwater Hub offers the opportunity to progress this work at a much larger scale and it’s therefore the appropriate time to absorb NSRI into Subsea UK.”

Tony Laing, who heads up NSRI, will join Subsea UK, helping to develop new projects and collaborations as part of the Global Underwater Hub’s approach to accelerating the commercialisation of underwater technology and innovation that can be used across multiple sectors.

Neil Gordon, chief executive of Subsea UK, added:
"I’d like to thank and pay tribute to Tony and Peter Blake, along with the rest of the NSRI board for their role in its success.

"As we get closer to establishing a Global Underwater Hub, we are harnessing what already exists in terms of available support for innovation and technology. This will ensure that we are fully aligned with a clear strategy for resourcing and delivering support that will fast-track new, multi-sector underwater technology and innovation to enable companies to expand their capabilities and reach into new markets.”

Energy Industry Directory: Subsea UK

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