Marine

Seventh Annual ScotMER Symposium announced

February 18, 2025 by Marine Directorate Communications No Comments | Category Marine Renewables, ScotMER

Registration is now open for the 7th Scottish Marine Energy Research (ScotMER) Symposium, running from 25 to 28 February.

This year’s Symposium is again free to attend and will take place online over four days. We’re also pleased to announce that you can join us in-person or online at our hybrid day on Wednesday 26 February at the Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling!

We’re delighted to be welcoming the Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan, to open the symposium on 25 February. The event showcases the latest ground-breaking research funded by the Scottish Government and our collaborators to improve the evidence base around how offshore renewable energy developments may affect our natural environment and other users of the sea.

The event also includes updates on projects from the Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme (ORJIP), ECOWind, Offshore Wind Evidence and Change (OWEC) Programme and other international research programmes. The four day event will present evidence on topics such as seabirds, marine mammals, fish and socioeconomics.

Last year’s event attracted over 1000 registered attendees from 30 different countries. You can catch up on talks from the 5th and 6th Symposium on the Marine Directorate YouTube.

Take a look at what’s on at the upcoming ScotMER Symposium and book your free place now!

About ScotMER
ScotMER is a Scottish Government initiative that identifies and addresses key evidence needs to help inform licensing, consenting and planning decisions concerning offshore renewable developments.

The Scottish Government has committed to investing up to £3.2 million per year until 2026/27 into research that will be delivered through the ScotMER programme, improving the scientific evidence base that is key to delivering ScotWind. ScotMER supports the Scottish Government’s commitment to Net Zero by 2045 and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.

Receptor Groups
 The ScotMER programme has seven receptor groups shown in the image below. Members consist of a range of external and internal stakeholders from across government (marine science, planning and licensing), statutory nature conservation bodies (e.g. NatureScot), academia, industry, as well as environmental charities.

Receptor groups image

Receptor groups identify and prioritise key evidence gaps in our knowledge and understanding of the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of marine renewables. These gaps are captured on evidence maps available on the Scottish Government website.

Research
The ScotMER programme takes forward high priority research projects based on the evidence gaps identified by the receptor groups.

In the last year ScotMER has published eight research reports on the Scottish Government website. The programme currently has a range of active and upcoming research projects investigating issues across the ecosystem and socioeconomics.

Communication
The ScotMER programme communicates project outputs to key decision makers across Scottish Government, as well as external stakeholders such as NatureScot, industry (developers and fishing), the academic community, and environmental charities.

ScotMER presents at a range of conferences and collaborates with stakeholders across Scotland, the UK and internationally. This coordinated approach enables the exploration of joint funding opportunities, cooperation across national boundaries and the development of new evidence to inform future decision-making.

Tags: marine renewables, net zero, ScotMER, ScotMER symposium, Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, ScotWind

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