MaREI

What MaREI does

MaREI is Ireland's national research centre for energy, climate, and marine research, coordinated by the Sustainability Institute at University College Cork (UCC). Founded in 2013, the centre operates as a hub-and-spoke model coordinating more than 220 researchers across 13 partner institutes, collaborating with 75 industry partners and researchers across 31 countries. Its research is structured around three intersecting themes: Energy Transition, Climate Action, and the Blue Economy, with technical infrastructure including the Lir-National Ocean Test Facility (LIR-NOTF), Ireland's only floating wind test site, and computational modelling platforms for national energy systems.

The centre's business model is public-sector grant funded rather than commercial. Revenue flows from Science Foundation Ireland (now Research Ireland) core centre funding, EU framework programmes (e.g., Horizon Europe), national agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), and the Marine Institute, supplemented by industry co-funding on joint projects. Outputs include peer-reviewed publications, policy briefings, techno-economic assessments, and licensable marine testing services delivered through UCC's research infrastructure. Strategic customers span government departments, regulatory bodies, EU institutions, and multinational energy, marine, and technology firms that co-fund applied research programmes.

Notable recent initiatives include the SELFS integrated energy systems modelling programme, the SuperNode superconducting cable partnership, the AtlanticFloat floating offshore wind collaboration, and the WEDUSEA wave energy project, signalling a portfolio tilt from foundational climate science toward applied energy transition and offshore renewables work that is directly relevant to industry deployment timelines.

Name

MaREI

Legal name

MaREI, the Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine

Website

https://marei.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

MaREI is Ireland's national research centre for energy, climate, and marine research, coordinating 220+ researchers across 13 partner institutes and 75 industry partners to deliver applied science and policy analysis for the energy transition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ringaskiddy

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Funding: Core funding as a Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine research coordinated by the Sustainability Institute at University College Cork.
2. EU Research Programme Funding: Participation and coordination in EU Horizon 2020, INTERREG, and other European funding programmes across all pillars.
3. National Government Agency Funding: Funding from EPA, SEAI, Marine Institute, Geological Survey Ireland, and other national agencies for specific research projects.
4. Industry Partnership Funding: Joint industry-SFI funded projects including SuperNode, with contributions from 75 industry partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MaREI is a publicly funded research centre that delivers multi-disciplinary research, doctoral training, and policy advisory services in the energy transition, climate action, and blue economy domains. It provides industry partners, government bodies, and academic collaborators with access to specialist expertise and state-of-the-art physical testing infrastructure (including ocean test facilities, wave tanks, marine robotics, coastal radar, and atmospheric research stations), alongside scientific evidence for policy development.

Product overview

MaREI is a research institution, not a product company. It is the Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine Research, coordinated by the Sustainability Institute at University College Cork. The organization comprises over 220 researchers across 13 partner institutes, focusing on three main research areas: Energy Transition, Climate Action, and the Blue Economy. MaREI does not offer commercial products or services; instead, it provides research collaboration, doctoral training, infrastructure access, and policy advice to industry, government, and society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Collaboration & Consulting Services Research collaboration opportunities for industry partners including SMEs, large enterprises, and start-ups across energy, climate, and marine sectors. Services include engaged research, stakeholder engagement support, and bespoke research consulting.
• Doctoral Training Programme (including ERBE CDT)
• Research Infrastructure Access
• Policy Advisory Services
• Public Engagement & Education Outreach

Quantifiable outcome

• 31 collaborating countries across industry, academia, and government
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• AtlanticFloat Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024AtlanticFloat is a SEAI-funded project coordinated by MaREI at University College Cork with partners: Rockall Research Ltd., Dublin Offshore Technology, Munster Technological University, and Wind Energy Ireland. The project focuses on floating offshore wind turbine dynamics in Atlantic conditions.
• EirGrid plccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2021STSTEPS project funder and research partner on public engagement with energy transitions, working with Ireland's transmission system operator on community benefit funding and grid development engagement.
• REACHOUT Consortium PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021European climate adaptation project with 19 partners including Deltares, Climate Adaptation Services, VU Amsterdam, CMCC, NGI, ECOLOGIC, TECNALIA, Resilient Cities Network, SWECO, Sendzimir Foundation, and city partners (Cork City Council, Athens, Lillestrøm, Milan, Logroño, Gydnia).
• EATFISH Consortium PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Marie Curie Innovative Training Network with 17 partners: Wageningen University, Ifremer, CSIC, Nofima, CCMAR, MFRI, Bantry Marine Research Station, Aarhus University, UBO, ABS International, NARIC, University of Stirling, and others. Focus on sustainable aquaculture research and training.
• SupernodecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2020Joint Industry SFI project between UCC and Supernode focused on developing marine enabled superconductor cable systems for deep-sea operation. The project aims to enable efficient power delivery from offshore renewable energy sources.
• 13 Institutional PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaREI comprises over 220 researchers across 13 partner institutes in Ireland: UCC, MTU Cork, UL, University of Galway, NUI Maynooth, DIAS, DkIT, ESRI, Trinity College Dublin, TU Dublin, Tyndall, UCD, and DCU. These institutional partners combine Ireland's talent in energy, climate, and marine research.
• 75 Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partners including Start-Ups, SMEs, and Large Enterprises across the energy, climate, and marine sectors. Partners engage through collaborative research projects, industry case studies, and engagement mechanisms.
• Wind Energy IrelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWind Energy Ireland Research partner in AtlanticFloat project, working on floating offshore wind technology research and development.
• Dublin OffshoremajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustry partner in AtlanticFloat project providing offshore technology expertise for floating wind research.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre): UK-based marine energy test centre operating wave and tidal test sites, with comparable mandate of providing physical testing infrastructure for offshore renewable energy developers. Directly comparable to MaREI's LIR-NOTF and AtlanticFloat capabilities.
• ORE Catapult: UK Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult is a publicly-funded applied research organisation accelerating offshore renewables commercialisation. Highly comparable to MaREI's offshore renewable energy R&D focus, industry partnership model, and test facilities.
• Fraunhofer IWES: Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems performs applied R&D and operates large-scale test facilities for wind energy and grid integration. Closely analogous to MaREI's offshore renewables test infrastructure and industry-driven research mandate.
• SINTEF: Norway's largest applied research institute with deep expertise in marine technology, ocean energy and energy systems. Comparable to MaREI in multi-disciplinary energy/marine scope, public-mission funding, and industry partnership model.
• Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML): UK marine research centre focused on ocean science and ecosystem research. Comparable to MaREI's marine ecology, coastal systems and blue economy research areas, with similar public-funder and policy-advisory orientation.
• Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS): Scotland's national marine science research institute working on marine renewables, blue economy and oceanography. Directly comparable to MaREI's blue economy and offshore renewable research streams.
• DTU Wind and Energy Systems: Technical University of Denmark department dedicated to wind and energy systems research, with major test facilities. Comparable in offshore wind R&D focus and in the strong industry/funder coupling that MaREI also exhibits.
• Ifremer: French public institute for marine research with deep expertise in ocean observation, marine ecosystems and aquaculture. Already a MaREI partner on EATFISH, and directly comparable in scope on marine systems and offshore renewables research.

Broad incumbents

• Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research: UK-led network of universities researching climate change mitigation and adaptation. MaREI's climate action remit (including Róisín Moriarty's prior Tyndall affiliation) places it in the same climate-research ecosystem with comparable policy-advisory outputs.
• NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory): US national laboratory dedicated to renewable energy and energy efficiency R&D, with broad scope and large-scale test infrastructure. Broad incumbent comparable to MaREI's applied energy research across offshore renewables and energy systems modelling.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mareicentre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCVXK0okrR0aawxUGkGZvgg
• Facebookfacebook.com/marei2014
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marei
• Instagraminstagram.com/marei_centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MaREI