The group seeks to promote best value for public money for research funded by public bodies by:

• Sharing programmes and proposals in order to eliminate duplication or repeated effort;
• Seeking to maximise the value of research through opportunities for collaborative effort.

The group also works in close collaboration with the Natural Environment Research Council’s Marine Renewable Energy Knowledge Exchange Programme. Its work is also informed by the Offshore Renewable Energy Licensing Group (ORELG), particularly where issues identified by that group include an evidence component.

The group is jointly run by Marine Scotland and the Marine Management Organisation, with support from the Marine Science Co-ordination Committee Secretariat.

Progress

Marine renewables research programmes have been shared. Priorities in research and development and how to approach them are currently being developed.

Meetings

The last meeting took place on Tuesday 5 February 2013.

Membership

The  group is comprised of public bodies in the UK that fund programmes of research and evidence on environmental impacts in the broadest sense and those with an interest in other uses of the sea where spatial conflicts with offshore renewables may arise.