The NDC is located at a dedicated research facility in Newburgh, 13 miles north of Aberdeen city centre. It sits in Energetica, Scotland’s Energy Corridor and is readily accessible from the new Aberdeen by-pass.

Research facilities include:

  • A real-time simulator with walk-in, 300-degree visual immersive environment, 4 control stations and full real-time real physics simulation of ships, cranes, ROVs etc. to allow scenario planning.  The system also has a “Smart cities” capability for modelling of data for decision making.  This will be used for our “Smart Basin” project which will model the North Sea infrastructure to allow better decision making across oil and gas and renewables.
  • Access to and priority use of 420 cores and 500TB of storage of the University’s high power computing cluster to allow fast modelling/analysis and data mining/AI development;
  • One of the most powerful industrial lasers of any academic institution in the UK (15kW);
  • A hyperbaric testing vessel which can simulate deep ocean conditions to the equivalent of 7000m;
  • Indoor freshwater immersion tank, and a saltwater tank with acoustically neutral walls;
  • Large capacity environmental chambers which allow temperature testing from -40oC to +180oC with controlled humidity;
  • A vibration table designed to simulate the vibration and shock conditions which automotive, aerospace and subsea equipment may encounter;
  • Hangar space for the design and construction of decommissioning technology.

The NDC is a unique environment bringing together, in its buildings, academic research, real-time projects and laboratory facilities.  It is funded by the government to deliver results and its focus is on real solutions underpinned by robust science.  The NDC can access other state of the art research facilities based on the main University campus.

The NDC also houses a high tech digital collaboration/visualisation suite. It replicates elements of NZTC’s Innovation Hub which has proven extremely successful in facilitating collaboration in the industry.