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Newcastle Uni to create new Blyth research centre with £1.5m investment

Newcastle University is investing £1.5m into creating a new research centre in Blyth.

Set to be unveiled during the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta, the Centre of Excellence for Marine Hydrodynamics, Coatings and Materials will include teaching rooms, workshops and an aquarium.

The facility will join the University’s Research Vessel – the Princess Royal – in forming a major new research presence in Blyth.

Professor Andrew Willmott, head of the School of Marine Science and Technology at Newcastle University, commented: “We’re delighted to be supporting the North Sea Tall Ships Regatta at a very exciting time for both Blyth and Newcastle University.”

The University is backing the event which will welcome a fleet of up to 30 Tall Ships into Blyth over the August bank holiday weekend.

To celebrate, the School of Marine Science and Technology, is hosting an exhibition during the event at their base within the Port of Blyth, which will be open to the public.

The exhibition offers the opportunity for visitors to hear about the University’s research topics including their ‘Capturing our Coast’ project which aims to find out more about the species that live in our seas and how we can protect them.

A human-powered submarine, a robotic platform called a ‘wave glider’, and hands-on displays including a tank containing North Sea marine life living offshore from Blyth, will also be available to explore.

The North Sea Tall Ships Regatta is expected to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors to the maritime celebration to enjoy nightly fireworks, live music, street theatre and grand parades.

The exhibition will be hosted in the Port of Blyth, in a new building constructed to house the Emerson Cavitation Tunnel used to test prototype propeller and tidal turbine designs. The unique facility is one of only two in the UK and is being refurbished and will be re-installed in Blyth later this year.

The Great North Sea Science and Technology Exhibition will be open to the public on 26 - 28 August between 12pm and 7pm at Beach Phase 2 at the Port of Blyth.

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