The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has launched a brand new grant funding programme that will develop the UK’s offshore wind supply chain by supporting projects in the offshore wind consenting and site development process.
OWGP has released its first Innovation Grants competition, which will see a total of £3 million awarded to successful supply chain companies.
Innovation Grants from £25K to £100K are available for projects focused on commercialising technologies, products and services that will accelerate offshore wind site development during the consenting phase. Potential activities include (but are not limited to) site selection, screening/scoping, surveying, impact assessment and ongoing monitoring and mitigation.
This latest tranche of funding builds on the £6 million already allocated across four separate funding competitions launched in the last 18 months. Cognitive Business is an innovative SME successful in securing OWGP grant funding in 2019 and 2020. They are developing game-changing machine learning solutions for the sector to improve health & safety and reduce the levelised cost of energy.
Ty Burridge-Oakland, Managing Director of Cognitive Business, said: “Without the OWGP’s funding and support, Cognitive would not have been able to innovate an important A.I. technology that has been shown to deliver real value through critical decision-making support in the challenging and complex offshore environment, and gain traction within the industry.”
OWGP funding calls are complemented by business transformation programmes, including the Wind Expert Support Toolkit (WEST) and the £1.5M Sharing in Growth (SiG) programme.
Innovation Grants are available to UK companies that are already active in the supply chain or seeking to diversify into offshore wind. Grants 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 £100k in a single grant application to cover up to 50% of the total project budget.
Dr Stephen Wyatt, Research & Disruptive Innovation Director at ORE Catapult and OWGP Board Director, said: “Today’s announcement focuses on a major opportunity for innovative UK businesses who are tackling the challenges associated with offshore wind site development. Growing the UK’s innovative offshore wind supply chain is essential in enhancing the UK’s world-leading position in offshore wind, and this new programme is a great chance for these companies to unlock growth potential through technology commercialisation.”
The OWGP plays a key role in delivering the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and is funded by members of the Offshore Wind Industry Council (OWIC), with a budget of £100m over ten years. The programme supports the growth of UK businesses looking to capitalise on the huge opportunities offered by the global offshore wind sector.
Over 900 companies have now registered an interest on the OWGP website, where further information on the Innovation Grants can be found. For more information and to apply, visit the OWGP website: https://owgp.org.uk/about/funding-opportunities/
More information will also be provided at a briefing webinar on Thursday 16 September 2021, where attendees will learn more about the competition, scope areas and how to apply. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/owgp-innovation-grant-briefing-tickets-169093387875
About the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership
The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) is a long-term business transformation programme, established as part of the UK Offshore Wind Sector Deal. It will promote closer collaboration across the supply chain, implement structured productivity improvement programmes and facilitate shared growth opportunities between developers and the supply chain.
Over the next ten years, delivery will focus on direct support to supply chain companies through a combination of strategic capability assessments, advisory services and grant funding. ORE Catapult will manage the delivery of OWGP with support from specialist delivery partners.
About the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult
ORE Catapult was established in 2013 by the UK Government and is part of a network of Catapults set up by Innovate UK in high growth industries. It is the UK’s leading innovation centre for offshore renewable energy.
Independent and trusted, with a unique combination of world-leading test and demonstration facilities and engineering and research expertise, ORE Catapult convenes the sector and delivers applied research, accelerating technology development, reducing risk and cost and enhancing UK-wide economic growth.
Active throughout the UK, ORE Catapult has operations in Glasgow, Blyth, Levenmouth, Aberdeen, Hull, the South West and Wales.
About the Offshore Wind Industry Council
A senior Government and industry forum, OWIC was established in 2013 to drive the development of the world-leading offshore wind sector in the UK.
