Supply chain companies are being invited to apply for a share of £1 million to address offshore wind industry innovation priorities.
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has released its latest Innovation Grants competition, which will see a total of £1 million awarded to successful supply chain companies to develop new products and services for the offshore wind sector.
The OWGP Innovation Grant will be supported by offshore wind industry champions Ocean Winds and ScottishPower Renewables who have expressed an interest in the innovation themes.
Innovation Grants between £25,000 and £200,000 are available for projects that focus on future cables, electrical systems, next-generation installation and operations and maintenance technologies.
The scope of the Innovation Grant call reflects the high growth areas within the Supply Chain Capability Analysis and the recently published Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Plan, which sets out how the UK can create thousands of jobs in offshore wind manufacturing and billions in economic value over the next decade.
Grants will be available to UK companies which are already active in the offshore wind supply chain or seeking to diversify into the sector. They will be awarded on a competitive basis, with successful proposals demonstrating near-to-market or market ready solutions and a clear ambition for growth in the sector. Eligible applicants can request up to £200,000 in a single grant application to cover up to 50% of the total project budget.
Daniel Santa Cruz Prego de Oliver, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Director at Ocean Winds, said:
“Ocean Winds is thrilled to support again this initiative for progress in the growing offshore wind sector. Now more than ever, as we stand at the heart of the construction phase of 2 GW of offshore wind in the United Kingdom and in France, innovation propels Ocean Winds to secure efficiency and safety in our journey to generating clean energy from offshore wind. This presents an excellent opportunity for us to champion innovation across the sector.”
Angela Angulo, Global Innovation Lead, Offshore Wind Business at Iberdrola said:
“ScottishPower Renewables are delighted to champion the latest Innovation Grant from OWGP. Following the launch of the Industrial Growth Plan, this is a great opportunity to support the development of innovative solutions to accelerate the growth of a competitive offshore wind supply chain”