SR2000 being tested at EMEC (Credit: Orbital Marine Power)

World's Largest Interreg Project Approved for Channel Regions.

The game-changing Tidal Stream Industry Energiser Project (TIGER) aims to drive the growth of tidal stream energy by installing almost 8MW of new tidal capacity in and around the Channel. The project is the largest and most ambitious of its kind, and looks to make a stronger and more cost-effective case for commercialising tidal stream technology in the UK's renewable energy sector. 

ORE Catapult will lead the TIGER project, comprising of 19 partners across the UK and France from a range of disciplines including turbine development, research organisations, demonstration sites and local and regional authorities. TIGER will bring together these different organisations to work towards validating and commercialising tidal technology to ensure the UK capitalises on the sustainable, predictable and affordable energy that is tidal.

Turbine being installed at Hywind Scotland (Credit: Oyvind Gravas / Statoil)

ORE Catapult Launches Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence.

We've launched our new multi-million pound Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellence to spearhead the development of next-generation offshore wind technologies.

The overarching aim is to develop an internationally recognised centre of excellence that will work to speed up the commercialisation of floating offshore wind by reducing costs, accelerating the construction of floating farms, creating opportunities for the UK supply chain and drive innovations in manufacturing, installation and O&M.

The Centre of Excellence is essential in meeting the Sector Deal commitment to produce 30GW of offshore wind by 2030 and the UK's commitment to achieve net-zero by 2050. ORE Catapult's Macroeconomic Benefits report and the joint Renewable UK and Scottish Renewables Floating Wind - The UK Industry Ambition identify that Scotland, South West England and Wales are key areas in harnessing floating wind and could benefit from the development of the technology, creating 17,000 jobs and generating £33.6bn for UK economy by 2050. 

National Launch Academy to Support Offshore Wind Innovators. 

ORE Catapult has launched an industry-backed technology accelerator programme that is designed to support innovative SMEs in the commercialisation process of their new technology. The programme aims to accelerate the route to market that these innovations will take in order to enhance the UK's offshore wind supply chain, enable greater UK content, whilst supporting cost reduction.

The Launch Academy is a bespoke 9-month programme that will centre around the development of near-to-market solutions, utilising the support from eight industrial and business support partners to accelerate the commercialisation of the new technology. The National Launch Academy will be supported by a number of regional programmes with the first of those in the North East of England.

At the end of the programme, participants will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative solutions to the strategic partners and the Catapult's network of investors with the aim of securing investment and a route to market for their products.

Offshore Wind Growth Partnership offer up to £400,000 in Grant Funding.

The Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) has released its first funding pot totalling £400,000 for projects that aim to improve the competitiveness of the existing UK supply chain and encourage the development of new innovations for the sector.  

This funding pot is available to all UK companies for submissions in either the cost reduction from advanced manufacturing techniques or developing advanced sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) and communication solutions for offshore wind. The aim of this first funding call is to support UK companies in exploring new manufacturing methods that could ultimately improve productivity and reduce costs.

Andrew MacDonald, OWGP Programme Director, said "These calls are the first of many that will kick start our journey to achieving a globally recognised and world-leading offshore wind supply chain."