UKCCSRC - The United Kingdom Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre

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EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC
EPSRC

£20,206,840

Jan. 1, 2016

Sept. 30, 2017

The UKCCSRC is a national UK research hub for Carbon Capture and Storage with three main priorities:
Delivering Research Impact Developing Leaders Shaping Capability
Strategy - The UKCCSRC will bring strategy to UK academic CCS research in support of government targets.
Impact - will be maximised by providing a national focal point for CCS R&D to bring together the user community and
academics to analyse problems, devise and carry out world-leading research and share delivery. A key priority will be to
help rebuild the UK economy by driving an integrated research programme focused on maximising the contribution of CCS
to a low-carbon energy system for UK.
Research will be linked to the following pathways to impact in future stages of CCS deployment:
a) Maximise the learning from the DECC CCS demonstration programme to reduce costs and risks for subsequent CCS
projects to.
b) Develop a knowledge base for rollout of CCS as part of UK electricity sector decarbonisation in the 2020s, including for
the life of this CCS infrastructure until 2050 and beyond.
c) Prepare for extensive deployment of CCS to meet UK 2050 targets, including CCS on industry, very low residual
emissions from CCS on fossil fuels and negative emissions from biomass with CCS.
Leaders - The UKCCSRC will cross institutional and disciplinary boundaries to bring together visionary leaders able to set
research agendas that fully combine the intersecting fields of knowledge required to maximise the potential of CCS,
inspirational team leaders for complex, long-term research programmes, and will also provide leadership development
opportunities for early- and mid-career researchers.
Capability - The UK CCS Research Centre will provide CCS researchers with the space, support and opportunities to foster
creativity and to empower them to deliver the highest quality long-term research in CCS areas where there is current or
future national need.
The activities of the UKCCSRC will be overseen by a broadly-based independent Board, reporting to RCUK and other
funders. A Management Team made up of the Principal Investigator/Director and eight Co-Investigators plus a Secretariat
will be responsible for running the Centre. Nine additional Research Area Champions will also help cover the wide range of
different specialised knowledge fields involved in implementing CCS systems.
The existing UK CCS Community Network will be operated by the Centre, giving a fully inclusive forum for UK CCS
stakeholders and a route for all UK academics to engage with the UKCCSRC.
The UKCCSRC initial funding supports a core research programme (£3M) that covers a number of evident gaps in existing
research and also includes scoping research in areas likely to be of strategic importance. It also funds shared national
facilities (£2M plus £2.9M from DECC). A further £1.5M has been set aside for flexible seed funding to be allocated on a
competitive basis for emerging strategic research needs.

Academic Beneficiaries
Describe who will benefit from the research [up to 4000 chars].
The Centre will be expanded by a number of routes:
a) Academic researchers on existing and new CCS projects will be invited to link these to the Centre.
b) Non-academic partners in projects that are linked to the Centre may become UKCCSRC Affiliates
c) Additional funding for UKCCSRC research programmes will be sought from RCUK and other UK and international
government-funded sources and also from industry.
Research and Pathways to Impact Delivery (RAPID)
The key overall strategy for future UKCCSRC expansion is to couple research with impact from the outset. Proposed
research will have to be linked to plausible routes to deliver a positive impact for CCS deployment. The RAPID process will
run throughout the course of the UKCCSRC with results summarised in a RAPID Handbook, updated yearly.

Potential Impact:
A broad range of beneficiaries and users for research developed by the UKCCRC can be identified. Key stakeholder groups and examples of their core interests are outline below.

UK Policymakers - UKCCSRC will be an expert group able to provide reliable evidence base to inform strategic decisions on UK energy mix and role that CCS may play in it and on wider aspects of CCS in global energy and climate change mitigation to achieve 2050 targets and beyond.

UK Regulators - Technical advice to develop and maintain fit-for-purpose regulation and guidance, including on capture-readiness and best available technology.

NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations) - NGOs typically have very small analytical teams in-house, so availability of reliable, independent advice and expertise is particularly important.

Industry-Power utilities - Analytical techniques and up-to-date reviews of promising developments to support and extend competence as 'informed buyers' and operators of CCS power plants and reduce risk for CCS deployment.

Industry-Transport & storage system developers & operators - Ideas and research outputs for strategic issues as well as design and operation. Explicit links between T&S and other aspects of the CCS chain and related long-term monitoring and environmental issues.

Industry-Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) - Identification and development of novel design and integration concepts that can inspire product adaptations and other development activities. Collaboration on pre-competitive and proprietary research projects.

SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) - Potentially similar to OEMs, but availability of initial academic research particularly important to identify focus for developments with limited budget, also test facilities to allow product demonstration and testing.

The UKCCSRC will ensure its research achieves impact through the following activities:

a) UKCCSRC 'Research and Pathways to Impact Development' (RAPID) Handbook: UKCCSRC will actively match its research priorities against national needs, stating expectations, requirements and responsibilities through the preparation in months 1-8 of the project of the UKCCSRC Research and Pathways to Impact Development Handbook, and regularly updating this Handbook over the course of the project.

b) Industry/academic secondments and shared facilities: UKCCSRC funding will be available, on a competitive basis, for industrial secondments for academics and researchers to work together as normal business as part of a strategic framework to deliver CCS impacts. The UKCCSRC pilot-scale test facilities, PACT and other supported strategic centres will be open for use by both academic researchers and industrial researchers.

c) Engagement and knowledge transfer: In additions to a) and b) above, make more accessible the data and knowledge about CCS research and its outcomes, for accelerated exploitation by users, through:
i) Operating the UK CCS Community Network, linking all CCS stakeholders in the UK.
ii) Engaging with industry through a programme of sponsors and associates for a directed research programme (to be launched in year 1 of the project) and through collaboration on specific research programmes in all areas.
iii) Circulating a monthly email news letter.
iv) Operating the UK CCS Data Hub (at BGS with UKCCSRC funding).
v) Sending trained students into industry during and after their research.

d) UKCCSRC project monitoring: The UKCCSRC Coordination Group and a full-time UKCCSRC Project and Facilities Manager will monitor UKCCSRC project progress and deliverables, with stage-gating for extended projects.

e) UKCCSRC public engagement programme: Public engagement will be embedded within all UKCCRC research projects.

f) Attracting inward R&D investment: UKCCSRC will actively seek to attract industrial CCS R&D investment in the UK, providing a closer link between multinational companies and UKCCSRC researchers.