WIRELINE Issue 36 - Summer 2016

Additive layer manufacturing (3D printing) in metals. This is one of the capabilities on offer at the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult. Image courtesy of the HVM Catapult

Matchmakers As a key partner in the MER UK Technology Leadership Board, the Oil & Gas Innovation Centre in Aberdeen strives to match SMEs with academic expertise to fast track solutions to the challenges facing businesses on the UK Continental Shelf. Wireline reports

F inding the right partner in all walks of life can be tricky, and growing together is about more than just getting older. The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) in Aberdeen was formed two years back with this in mind. Funded by the Scottish Funding Council and supported by Scottish Enterprise and the

technology that will improve outcomes on the UK Continental Shelf,” asserts OGIC chief executive Ian Phillips. “We do this by matching industry innovators with university research and development (R&D) capabilities, by part-funding the academic support on these projects and providing project management guidance.”

Highlands & Islands Enterprise, its remit is to match SMEs with the right academic partner from Scotland’s 14 universities and part-fund the academic element of the project. These collaborative ventures then seek to nurture, test and bring to

market new technology ideas. “Our role is to accelerate the development and deployment of

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T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E U K O F F S H O R E O I L A N D G A S I N D U S T R Y