The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has launched a new collaborative way of working with the oil and gas industry.

NOC said it will provide innovative science and technology to enable industry to work safely and efficiently, with minimum impact on the marine environment.

The launch comes off the back of many years of working with the industry on both an individual and collaborative basis, to develop science and technology to enhance competitive advantage, maximise investment and reduce operational costs during exploration, production and decommissioning.

NOC associate director, Innovation and Enterprise, Kevin Forshaw, commented: “Building on our existing relationships, we are hoping that this offer will encourage more oil and gas companies to develop long-term relationships with us, as we believe there are benefits to be gained on both sides. With the many challenges facing the industry, companies are recognising the value of novel science and technology, to create real business value. By accessing external funding opportunities and joint-industry funding, companies are benefiting from responsive and flexible innovations to drive down operational costs, maximise existing investments, access and share innovation expertise, and respond to government fiscal and environmental regulations.”

According to NOC, the collaboration package is an annual subscription which includes access to science research services, responsive to the industry’s needs, expert interpretation of valuable data-sets, access to software and data-products and alerts for public funding opportunities. Collaborators will also have associate membership of the NOC’s Marine Robotics Innovation Centre.