TWI Technology Centre Wales has received a £1 million ($1.24M) EU funding boost to develop new technology to improve the performance of offshore oil and gas production.
TWI, an independent research and technology organization, said on Friday it will work with European partners to develop new technology and products to help improve the performance of oil & gas production as well as rail infrastructure.
The schemes are being funded through Horizon 2020, the European Union’s largest research and innovation program, which aims to make breakthroughs in science and technology and support the development of products and services.
Welsh Government Finance Secretary, Mark Drakeford , said: “I’m delighted another Welsh company has been successful in securing Horizon 2020 funding – this is a highly-competitive program investing in projects at the forefront of innovation.
“This is yet another example of how EU funding and collaboration opportunities benefit Welsh business. It is great news that, as a result of these schemes, research and development with such potential will take place in transport safety and energy engineering which are of significant importance to Wales.”
TWI will collaborate with organizations from across Europe on two Horizon 2020 schemes over the next two years.
It will work with the University of Birmingham and partners in Belgium, Portugal and Spain to develop a robotic evaluation system which will enable more frequent inspection of rail tracks and improved detection of faults and defects.
In addition, it will develop a product for assessing the condition of flexible risers widely used in offshore oil and gas production.
According to TWI, the product, which will be developed with partners in the UK, Cyprus and Greece, will improve reliability and reduce the environmental impact of offshore production through a new subsea digital radiography detector.
TWI added that both schemes aim to deliver products which will be marketed and sold around the world.