There is a considerable amount of work currently being undertaken in the marine renewables area across the UK. This research programme seeks to build on that research and focuses on Scotland's seas. It includes work that the Scottish Government is funding to better understand the potential environmental impacts of marine renewable energy, and also associated work undertaken by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
The programme is led by Marine Scotland and has been developed in partnership with other organisations including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, The Crown Estate, SNH, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and representatives of industry. The research programme includes five themes: generic research, marine mammals, seabirds, habitats and fish.
Currently the research programme consists of over 19 projects which are underway, although others will be coming on line over the next few years. To date over 15 projects have been completed, links to which will be available shortly. Other research projects undertaken for other purposes for example biodiversity monitoring programmes and seabed surveys will also contribute useful information. The figures below do not include all costs of work being undertaken internally by Marine Scotland.
Summary of research programme
| Type of project | Number of projects | Total budget |
| Generic research | 9 | £532,466 |
| Seabirds | 1 | £249,572 |
| Marine Mammals | 7 | £593,784 |
| Habitats | 1 | n/a |
| Fish | 1 | £67,000 |
| Total | 19 | £1,442,822 |
For further information on the projects contact:
Marine Scotland Science:
renewableenergyscience@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Marine Environment team:
marine.environment@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Scottish Natural Heritage:
marinerenewables@snh.gov.uk