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Scotland
Pearls in Peril (PIP GB)
Securing the future of the freshwater pearl mussel in Great Britain
Aberdeen
Conservation
The overall project objective is to safeguard the future of the most important pearl mussel populations (M. margaritifera), in Great Britain (i.e., in 21 Natura 2000 sites across England, Scotland and Wales) by tackling the main threats to this and by implementing best practice conservation methods. To achieve this, the project restores rivers and improve riverbanks that also benefit salmon and trout populations. It works closely with the landowners and fisheries concerned.
http://www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-species/life-projects/pearls-in-peril/
DTOcean
Optimal Design Tools for Ocean Energy Arrays
Edinburgh
Energy
The DTOcean project is aimed at accelerating the industrial development of ocean energy power generation knowledge, and providing design tools for deploying the first generation of wave and tidal energy converter arrays.
The areas of hydrodynamic array layout, electrical infrastructure, operations, maintenance & control, moorings & foundations, and installation & logistics bring critical challenges which must be addressed for the ocean energy sector in order to reach commercialisation. Whilst the current conditions seen in the sector are acceptable for the development stage that the sector is currently primarily focussed on – testing prototype devices – they are not acceptable as the sector moves towards the deployment of medium and large-scale arrays. These factors, if not addressed, have significant consequences for the sector, such as a failure to optimise the design of ocean energy arrays due to neglecting the extra complexities of array designs over single device deployments, and failure to properly understand economic, environmental, or reliability impacts that individual components within an array design can have on the overall project.
The DTOcean project brings together an integrated suite of Work Packages to address the challenges that have been highlighted, as the sector progresses from single devices to arrays. The Work Packages will form core elements of progression beyond current state-of-the-art knowledge.
Within each work package there will be a significant focus on the economic, environmental and reliability challenges. This will ensure that each step of the design process considers the overall impact of individual Work Package decisions – ensuring environmentally appropriate project development. The result will culminate in a suite of open source design tools for the ocean energy sector.
http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/110303_en.html
Education and Employment Pathways for Speakers of Other Languages (E-EPSOL)
Glasgow
Education
Project addressed multiple barriers and problems faced by migrants, like poor host country language acquisition, non-recognition of prior learning/experience from overseas, lack of confidence, motivation or the chances to engage with the labour market or education, lack of experience of local labour market, recruitment practices and poor networks promoting employability, racism or prejudice, a substantial barrier for employers and subsequent poor employment rates.
Orkney Theatre
Kirkwall
Infrastructure
Orkney has a rich natural and cultural heritage which has long attracted visitors. However the tourist industry had suffered through the absence of a purpose-built performance venue, particularly when large touring companies considered travelling to Orkney to perform.
Orkney Islands Council applied for ERDF funds to assist with the project to create the Orkney Theatre, a flexible 350-seater venue forming part of the new Kirkwall Grammar School Complex.
The new venue has increased the number and range of performances on Orkney. The state of the art facilities now attract a range of different arts and theatre companies, enabling them to take their performances to island audiences.
The ability of the local community to experience quality theatre without leaving the island has reduced levels of social exclusion previously felt by Orkney residents with an interest in the performing arts.
http://www.orkneytheatre.co.uk
Mountains for People
Torridon, Glencoe and Arran
Infrastructure
The Mountains for People (MFP) project formed the final phase of a ten-year process to create a strategic path network across the Scottish mountains by fully restoring and conserving 424 km of mountain paths in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.
The MFP project used £241,000 of ERDF funding to restore and conserve the remaining 50.7 km of pathways along 14 separate routes in Torridon, Glencoe and on Arran. On the higher routes on Arran, the Remote Accommodation System (RAS) was used so that project teams could stay on-site. The RAS is a customised military system which uses easy to construct flat-packed cabins that can be quickly and efficiently flown on and off-site by helicopter.
The project has created 34.5 direct full-time equivalent jobs for local footpath companies in the region. It has also improved accessibility for the 160,000 people who visit the hills each year, while at the same time increasing the protection of the delicate mountain terrain by ensuring people walk on designated pathways. The increased accessibility will bring new visitors to the three areas, boosting the local economies as a result.
http://www.nts.org.uk/Mountains_For_People/
North Sea Screen Partners (NSSP)
Dundee
Research and innovation
The North Sea Screen Partners project sought to tap the potential of the film industry to promote innovation and growth in the North Sea Region and increase the region's competitiveness internationally. The project aimed to tackle issues such as fragmented national markets, lack of coherence and coordination across the North Sea Region, and loss of talent in more peripheral areas.
With an ERDF grant of £1,185,215, the project worked alongside policy makers and funding and tourism agencies to raise awareness of the opportunities for attracting new productions to the United Kingdom as well as the wider North Sea Region. Promoting UK and North Sea film locations was one way the project helped raise the global profile of the region.
Folkestone-based Screen South was the project partner responsible for another important project initiative, uScreen. UScreen is an online filmmaking and learning site targeted at young people of all educational and physical abilities. Praised by an international panel of judges as ‘innovative’ and ‘particularly tailored to disabled young people’s needs’, the uScreen project won ‘The Interactive Media Award 2011’.
The project also developed new low cost technologies to help small production companies create special effects and animations to rival Hollywood blockbuster quality. This has already led to spin-offs in a range of industries requiring high quality digital imaging services.
