Orkney Research & Innovation Campus

This new state-of-the-art facility has become a hub for the pioneering research and innovation work carried out in Orkney.

The Orkney Research & Innovation Campus (ORIC) is a multi-million-pound project that has created a new and improved home for Orkney’s wide range of energy and low-carbon expertise. A joint venture by Orkney Islands Council and Highlands & Islands Enterprise which is part-funded with £1.48m of funding through the European Regional Development Fund Scotland Programme, the first two phases of the £6.8m project are already complete, with work on the final phase carried out in 2020.

The former Stromness Primary School has been fully refurbished and renamed as the Robert Rendall building, after the renowned Orcadian naturalist and poet. It’s now home to Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre for Island Technology (ICIT), Solo Energy and Robert Gordon University.

Renovation work at the nearby Charles Clouston building, formerly known as the Old Academy, completes the current work at the 3.75-acre campus. The building has been renamed after the prominent Stromness-born polymath and provides modern facilities for the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and environmental consultancy Aquatera Ltd. Other organisations located on the campus are Orkney Hyperbaric Trust and underwater services provider, Sula Diving.

The ORIC project aims to strengthen Orkney’s global lead in the field of renewables research and innovation, providing purpose-built business and educational facilities within Stromness, where much of the sector’s activity is currently focused.

It’s hoped the new campus will encourage collaboration between various organisations, companies and agencies, with the common aim of furthering crucial Orkney-based research and development work.

Parts of both the Charles Clouston and Robert Rendall buildings can be rented by external organisations and local businesses involved in relevant sectors.

The Robert Rendall building lecture theatre, teaching and collaborative space, boardoom and breakout area are all available to hire. A multi-purpose reception area with a state-of-the-art audio-visual wall is also available to hire in the Charles Clouston building - get in touch with the ORIC team to find out more.

Find out more about the Orkney Research & Innovation Campus via the official website.