Aberdeen University is to assess the potential for oil around Rockall after being given an Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) grant.
The funding is part of a package of measures to boost oil and gas exploration in the UK Continental Shelf, announced by the Prime Minister earlier this year.
Lying 230 miles west of North Uist, Rockall is officially part of the district of Harris.
Dr Nick Schofield from the university's petroleum geology department said: “Rockall remains a truly frontier area of hydrocarbon exploration in the UKCS.
"It is a geologically challenging area, but decoding the geology and petroleum system is what makes it exciting to work on.
“The £250,000 grant from the Oil and Gas Authority will support research that will fully evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon prospectivity in Rockall.
“The funding will allow us to apply the innovative knowledge and science we have developed in other areas of the Atlantic Margin to Rockall, and we are grateful to OGA and the UK Government for their support."
Oil and gas exploration funding for Rockall area
4 May 201
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