Research institute Akvaplan-niva visits the Lyell Centre

Akvaplan-niva has visited the Lyell Centre, a strategic partnership between BGS and Heriot-Watt University (HWU), today (Thursday 13 June).

Over 50 employees from the Norwegian institute, an independent research institute that conducts research and provides services to the aquaculture and petroleum industries and government, spent a few hours with Lyell Centre staff learning about their expertise in marine and land geoscience and discovering the state-of-the-art facilities the centre has to offer.

The Lyell Centre allows Heriot-Watt University and BGS to work together combining their expertise. Exploring themes ranging from geology and geophysics to marine ecosystems, the centre’s combination of pure and applied expertise employs innovative methods and technologies to societies’ most important environmental science and energy challenges.

The group were welcomed by Prof Teresa Fernandes, Director of the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, for introductory talks on key research areas of focus, and potential areas for collaboration, and by Dr David Schofield, BGS Science Director National Geoscience, who informed the visitors of the Lyell Centre’s goals and about the strengths that come from both organisations working together.

In addition to this, the guests were given a tour of the laboratories based within the Lyell Centre, the BGS Marine Operations base at the £21 million, purpose-built facility and the HWU aquarium.

The breadth and diversity of the information provided to Akvaplan-niva by the students, faculty, and specialists in technology and innovation working at the Lyell Centre and the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences was impressive.

I am hopeful that this visit will lead to the establishment of a long-term partnership based on the sharing of complementary expertise and resources to achieve excellence in research and innovation.

JoLynn Carroll, Manager for R&D, Akvaplan-niva.

We are delighted that Akvaplan-niva approached us to find out more about the Lyell Centre and engage with our scientists face-to-face. This has provided us with a great opportunity to learn about each other and connect and we hope this may lead to potential collaboration in the future.

Dr Tracy Shimmield, Director of the Lyell Centre.

It is a pleasure to welcome such a large delegation from a key institution in Norway which works in areas very akin to ours within the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences. The feedback we received on the talks, the posters displayed and tours of the John Muir building and the Lyell Centre facilities has been fantastic. The enthusiasm and energy are clear and ideas and future plans are already being discussed. We very much look forward to the next steps and to increased collaboration between our institutions.

Prof Teresa Fernandes, Director of the Institute of Life and Earth Sciences, Heriot-Watt University.