Strengthening Orkney's global lead in renewables, research and innovation
The Orkney Research & Innovation Campus (ORIC) is a multi-million-pound project creating an improved home for Orkney’s wide range of clean energy and low-carbon expertise. ORIC LLP was previously a joint venture between Orkney Islands Council (OIC) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Following a change of ownership announced in April 2024, ORIC LLP is now a wholly owned subsidiary of HIE.
A first round of development was completed in late 2020. This included £1.48m from the European Regional Development Fund Scotland Programme towards a £6.9m overall project. HIE and OIC subsequently approved a further funding package totalling £2.8m for a second round of development. The planned expansion will make a substantial contribution to ORIC’s long term vision.
The new development aims to enhance existing facilities and create new spaces to enable more academic and commercial activity, collaboration, and business incubation. New co-working spaces will be created to support small and growing businesses and a number of improvements will be made across the campus with the aim of achieving net zero operations. The project forms part of wider investment through the Islands Growth Deal, which is set to be supported with investment of up to £8m from the UK Government.
The campus is open to visitors and members of the public during normal working hours with free Wi-Fi available in all public external and internal areas. Space can be leased or hired in both the Charles Clouston and Robert Rendall buildings by organisations and local businesses involved in relevant sectors. To find out more about the Orkney Research and Innovation Campus, including enquiries for leasing or hiring of campus facilities, please visit the ORIC website or email enquiries@orkneycampus.co.uk.