A £6.5m investment to deliver a new generation of engineering leaders in renewable energy has been announced by Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Universities and industry with firms like EDF Energy, Shell and Rolls-Royce will provide training for up to 50 top engineering students as part of a new Industrial Doctorate Centre in Offshore Renewable Energy (IDCORE).

Students will also be trained in future technologies ranging from designing cost-efficient new windmill blades to testing the latest wave energy technology at leading facilities like Edinburgh University.

The engineers will also be trained to understand the needs of business and develop their entrepreneurial skills alongside boosting their research and technical skills. Graduates are expected to begin their training in January 2012, gaining an engineering doctorate.

The new Centre will be funded through the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). Training will be delivered by Edinburgh, Strathclyde and Exeter universities, along with the Scottish Association for Marine Science and consultancy HR-Wallingford.

Cable says: “Engineering skills are vital for the growth of a more sustainable economy and are in high demand from employers. This scheme will see industry working with universities to provide students with the training and commercial experience businesses want.