New wave centre opens

Exactly two years after a sod-turning ceremony on the site, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny will officially open the new Beaufort Building in Ringaskiddy on July 11.

A state of the art wave research facility, the €15 million building will house the LIR National Ocean Test Facility and the SFI MaREI centre. MaREI (Marine Renewable Energy Ireland Research Centre) in a cluster of key university and industrial partners dedicated to solving the main scientific, technical, social and economic challenges related to marine renewable energy.

Covering an area of 4,700 square metres, the new institute will play a key role in Ringaskiddy’s Maritime Campus, (which also includes the Irish Navy and the National Maritime Institute), and is designed to add to a growing knowledge hub, bringing together key players in maritime affairs, including academics, researchers and entrepreneurs, to the Cork harbour location