Background
Ecomar Propulsion Ltd is based in Fareham on the South Coast of the UK and was first registered in 2019. Ecomar Propulsion Ltd is involved in the research, development and production of high performance electric and hybrid hydrogen marine propulsion systems.
Their team of highly skilled engineers and technical experts are working to reduce global emissions by creating high efficiency, high output marine engines and energy storage solutions. The company only works with fully clean electric systems to allow current vessel owners the opportunity to seamlessly transfer to clean marine or new build yards to offer electric vessel options.
Ecomar Propulsion produces two products for clean marine vessels; outboard systems and inboard systems powered by battery and hydrogen with a company aspiration of removing 10 million tonnes of toxic exhaust fumes from the marine environment within 10 years.
In 2021 the company increased its workforce to 8 staff and then to 12 by Jan 2023, with further expected growth. The company has been recognized with several awards from the Maritime UK (Solent) Clean Marine Innovator and Maritime UK Diversity Champion Finalist 2022 through to SETSquared University Network Award for Environmental Impact 2022.
The Challenge
The business challenge for Ecomar Propulsion arose when their manufacturer of hydraulic rams in the Far East ceased supply of their products. This left a significant challenge for Ecomar Propulsion but also an opportunity for the company to look at developing their supply chain within the UK. Another requirement was to ensure the materials being used are as environmentally sustainable as possible from a circular economy perspective.
The Solution
Scottish Enterprise introduced Ecomar Propulsion to NMIS, and as a result of their interest in developing a Scottish supply chain and bringing production to Scotland to overcome a global supply chain issue of electric outboard motors, they were eligible to apply for the Inward Investment Catalyst Fund to support activity. The Inward Investment Catalyst Fund supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here. As well as funding the research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland.
The teams at NMIS and University of Strathclyde developed their understanding of the design and manufacturing parameters to find replacement components that would be robust enough for the extreme demands of the marine environment. Research and outreach were carried out with companies specializing in hydraulic production in Scotland. Further discussions with selected companies are taking place to develop future alternatives to current suppliers in order to close the gap in the market and provide consistency of supply.
The Next Steps
This project has allowed Ecomar Propulsion to better understand the work of NMIS and the University of Strathclyde and how the skills of the teams can allow Ecomar to plan further growth in Scotland and engage with the wider available supply chain.
Whilst an immediate supplier for marine hydraulic rams was not found, the team have introduced Ecomar Propulsion to several companies which they would not have met had they not taken part in this project. Through meeting senior members of the academic community, potential further opportunities have been identified to explore additional supply chain introductions and manufacturing routes in Scotland for Ecomar Propulsion’s full product range.
Continued collaboration will be facilitated with the Head of Electrification Manufacturing Programmes at NMIS, and allow Ecomar Propulsion and NMIS to engage with Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise in relation to future facility planning and supply chain partnerships. Additionally, opportunities will be aligned with the University of Strathclyde’s strategic direction in electrification manufacturing, notably in PEMD (power electronics, machines and drives) through DER-IC Scotland (Driving the Electric Revolution Industrialisation Centre), ensuring that expansion of capabilities is informed and driven by industry requirements.
This project benefitted from the Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund. The Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund launched by Interface and the Scottish Government promotes Scotland as a leading destination for inward investment and supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here. As well as funding research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland.
Learn more about the Scottish Inward Investment Fund
‘Net Zero’ means the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we put into the atmosphere and the amount we’re able to take out will add up to zero. The Scottish Government have ambitious targets to reach net zero by 2045, with interim targets of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. Our first step in becoming net zero is to reduce our emissions by changing our actions and processes.
This one hour long technical webinar will give you an overview of what support is available from the Scotland Food and Drink Partnership to help food and drink businesses implement a net zero strategy. The session will also include case studies outlining some of the practical processes and procedures food and drink businesses can implement to move towards net zero. This will include a presentation from Windswept Brewing who are implementing sustainable energy and waste management innovations that will improve energy efficiencies, conserve resources and reduce waste and wastewater generation.
Agenda:
16.00 Welcome and Introduction to TechHUB – Alistair Trail, SAC Consulting.
16.05 Introduction to net zero and net zero response programme – Ian Clunie, Net Zero Programme Director – Scotland Food and Drink Partnership.
16.25 The Benefits of carbon audits to support Net Zero, Sarah Erbanova, SAC Consulting.
16.40 Net Zero Case Study – Nigel Tiddy, Windswept Brewing.
16.55 Q + A
17.00 End
The Food and Drink TechHUB is a Northern Innovation Hub programme funded through the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal – a joint initiative supported by £315m investment from the UK and Scottish governments, The Highland Council, HIE and University of the Highlands and Islands.
Evolve™ green energy technology is the first hydrogen electrolysis solution that can extract hydrogen from any natural water source including groundwater, tap water, and seawater, without desalination.
Background
Evolve Hydrogen Ltd wants to develop novel Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser technology to produce “green” hydrogen for use in industrial processes. This innovation unlike the traditional flat-stack designs of common PEM and alkaline electrolysers is designed in a honeycomb configuration with reactive parts placed in a concentric layout. The reactive parts are fabricated via injection moulding of a custom polymer which allow this technology to utilise impure water sources.
The Challenge
In developing their technology Evolve Hydrogen Ltd required a bespoke polymer material that enabled direct electrolysis of impure water sources, for example, seawater without the need for desalination. Optimisation of this material required a thorough understanding of its electrochemical performance and transport mechanism in various electrolysis environments. To improve the efficiencies of their prototypes this project required electrochemical engineering expertise to give a full characterisation of the polymer raw material and to recommend improvements in composition to advance Evolve™ technology.
The Solution
Evolve Hydrogen Ltd sought the expertise of the University of Strathclyde to perform this project based on recommendations by their technical advisors, two of whom were alumni of Strathclyde University. Funding provided by Interface’s Inward Investment Catalyst Fund permitted the material characterization of the original polymer and suggestions for efficiency improvements to be carried out by the University of Strathclyde.
Evolve Hydrogen Ltd provided samples and previous technical data to the University’s research staff, who performed the physical and electrochemical characterisation required as part of Evolve’s aim to achieve TRL 4 (Technology Readiness Level) status. Dr Edward Brightman and his team of electrochemical engineers used their expertise to create a specialised test cell. They also demonstrated the knowledge and the flexibility to adjust the research scope to address new questions of the materials being analysed.
The work performed by the team of electrochemical engineers successfully characterised the original polymer material and suggested material and dimensional changes to improve the efficiencies of Evolve Hydrogen’s technology.
The Future
Evolve Hydrogen Ltd is committed to working with the University of Strathclyde because of their demonstrated level of professionalism, knowledge, creative thought, and the working relationship that has been established. The University, the Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC), and their industrial partners plan to collaborate for the testing of future prototypes and the fabrication of Minimal Viable Products for Evolve Hydrogen’s demonstrations. They are seeking joint funding together to support an R&D pathway towards commercialisation in Scotland.
The Benefits
- The benefit of this project is to further the development of a novel green hydrogen production technology and to commercialise the technology in Scotland.
- Decarbonization of transportation and many industrial processes with the integration of Evolve’s technology throughout Scotland.
- Development of future strategic partnerships with key industry players in manufacturing, polymer production, and hydrogen end users such as offshore wind farms, utilities, and the transportation sector.
- With the global demand for electrolysers far exceeding the supply Evolve see a tremendous growth in exports of their technology for Scotland starting in 2024.
This project benefitted from the Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund. The Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund launched by Interface and the Scottish Government promotes Scotland as a leading destination for inward investment and supports businesses not yet located in Scotland but seeking to establish stronger ties with academia here. As well as funding research and development it provides an opportunity for the company to establish relationships and give insight into other aspects of the Scottish landscape, such as further investment opportunities, supply chains and the skills base to strengthen the case for investing in Scotland.
Learn more about the Scottish Inward Investment Fund.
The name Kodak has been synonymous with the pioneering days of photography from as far back as the late 19th century. Since these early days, the company has remained a global brand leader, ranking as one of the leading multinational corporations, recognised in virtually every country around the world.
Much of Kodak’s recent success has been achieved by embracing the revolution in consumer technology and particularly, the move away from ‘traditional’ print photography to the huge global surge in digital photography of the late 1990’s.
The Business Challenge
Kodak, however, is more than a photographic and imaging consumer brand. To maintain its market-leader position, it has to continually adapt to change – researching and developing products and services ready to anticipate the next digital technology phase.
To underline this, Kodak has a very active global research and development community. In the UK, Kodak’s European Research Centre, based in the Cambridge Science Park, employs up to 30 people. It collaborates closely with the renowned Eastman Kodak laboratories in Rochester, New York, helping researchers identify new technologies that serve the needs for a diverse and increasingly digital European market in optoelectronics, materials research and imaging software.
Kodak’s European Research Centre has a key role, ensuring the company maintains market prominence in areas such as digital imaging, display technology and healthcare. And with innovation vital to sustaining commercial success, Kodak External Alliances (KEA), the body created to establish external working partnerships, is fuelling Kodak’s technology drive by building strategic relationships with universities, government laboratories and privately-held companies. This supports Kodak’s digitally-focused growth strategy by leveraging technology and intellectual property opportunities.
Currently, KEA is involved in six UK Government funded (DTI programmes) and 2 EU Framework programmes and are always interested in exploring other opportunities relevant to their requirements.
Recently, Kodak has been working with Interface – The knowledge connection for business, to understand the expertise available to them within Scottish Universities and research institutes in specific technological areas – Digital Media and Systems (includes images, videos and audio), information management systems, Printing Technologies and Emerging Materials Technologies.
The Solution
Interface identified a number of potential partners – leading research groups in Scotland across the four areas which were of interest to the KEA team. Interface organised and supported Kodak during its subsequent visit to Scotland to meet with the key academic groups that were identified. The Interface team liaised with Kodak team members and academic partners to ensure meetings were set up and introductions brokered.
The Benefits
As a direct result of the meetings with the academic groups, two formal collaborations were established with separate groups at the University of Glasgow. The first of which is with Matthew Chalmers, a Reader in Computer Science. His work aims to take account of social and perceptual issues in the design and theory of computer systems. A collaborative research project with Kodak was established to investigate methods to better view images.
A further collaboration was established with Dr Joemon Jose, who is also a Reader at the Department of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. Joemon’s research focuses on all aspects of information retrieval (theory, experimentation, evaluation and applications) in the textual and multimedia domain. Following on the success of the initial consultancy, the group is exploring other options of continuing collaboration including the support of a PhD student.
Dr Chris Moore, Director of Kodak External Alliances commented;
“Kodak’s European Research Centre is responsible for identifying unique science and technology and discovering new opportunities that serve the needs of the diverse and increasingly digital European markets.
Establishing collaborative partnerships through consultancy and studentships ensures that Kodak continues to be a world leader in developing the most technologically advanced and customer friendly imaging products. Working with Interface has allowed us to establish relevant capability within Scottish Universities in our areas of interest from image science to information systems.”
Dr Siobhan Jordan, director of Interface commented;
“The complexities helping develop a new range of digital process and applications with Kodak’s research teams are a testament to the superb capability within University of Glasgow’s Computing Science faculty which we identified on Kodak’s behalf. In the past ten years, we have seen an expediential growth in digital technology and Kodak’s vision to research and develop future opportunities in Scotland has to be applauded.”
Lesley is co-founder of the Traveltech for Scotland cluster where she built and grew a highly active community of traveltech start-ups and SME’s, driving innovative business-academic collaborations for digital transformation, including Traveltech collectives and Interface projects funded by the Scottish Inward Investment Catalyst Fund. She is experienced in delivering knowledge exchange events to highlight the benefits of digital technologies and data for industry sectors, including visitor management and cultural heritage; and has worked extensively with the private and public sector, helping businesses to grow through training, knowledge transfer, and digital skills development. A graduate of Glasgow University, Lesley has an MSC in Marketing Management from Edinburgh Napier University, where she later completed the first Destination Leaders Programme, a tourism leadership network of 100+ industry professionals. Lesley sits on the Board of Women in Tourism and chairs the Visitor Management Digital Group, a sub-group of Scotland’s National Visitor Management Strategy Steering group, chaired by VisitScotland.
Lorraine joined Interface from VisitScotland where she worked for 25 years. With experience as their London Office Manager, 16 years as Operations Manager for their world renowned Quality Assurance Schemes and latterly working within EventScotland on Year of Food and Drink; Lorraine brings a wealth of Tourism and Food & Drink experience to the Interface Highlands and Islands Team.
Lorraine aims to spread the word about Interface more widely across the H&I, showing how we can help businesses achieve their ambitions no matter the size or scope. Interface can open up a whole new world of possibilities by introducing business owners to resources they never knew were available to them. Lorraine works to help businesses understand that Interface can save them time, money and effort by matching them to the right expertise across Scotland’s renowned universities and colleges.
In short, if you’ve got an idea, give it a kick-start by getting academics to do the research and development work for you!
Where we’re located
Lorraine and the Interface H&I team are based at An Lochran, the fabulous Enterprise and Research Centre in Inverness where Highlands and Islands Enterprise is co-located with key research and education departments from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and research and consultancy divisions from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).