A GROUND-breaking research and innovation project which is helping to create jobs in the renewable energy sector has received a boost of up to £5 million in European funding

Strathclyde University is one of the partners in Renewable Engine, a scheme that helps small and medium-sized businesses in the renewables sector take their innovations from the research and development stage out into the commercial market.

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The project has received the funding from the EU’s INTERREG VA programme, which aims to enhance cross-border co-operation for a more prosperous and sustainable region. Four Strathclyde PhD students – James Reid, Fatin Abdalla, Ellie Smith and Maria Damaskou (pictured above) – are currently working on renewables projects.

Knowledge exchange fellow Simon Leslie said: “The projects will help us to support innovation in start-up companies and the development of technology within more established enterprises, so we’re ultimately generating employment opportunities within the sector.”

Led by South West College in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, Renewable Engine operates as a supercluster across Strathclyde University, Queen’s University Belfast, and the Institute of Technology Sligo.