FAQs

The West of Orkney Windfarm are funding the R&I Programme up to £1 million.

Candidates must detail the budget required for project completion and source of external funds that have already been secured. Funding intensity from the R&I Programme towards each project will be based upon the maturity of the project, the quality of the application and its relevance to the West of Orkney Windfarm. Funding intensity will range from 10% to 100% and is at the discretion of the Programme Governance Group.

A maximum of £300k may be awarded from the R&I Programme for the first innovation call however additional funding may be made available to those with the potential to have the biggest impact on the wind farm.

Applications are encouraged from companies, research institutions and/or consortiums with demonstrable track record in a relevant sector. Proposals from the Highlands and Islands region are particularly welcome to ensure economic benefits local to the call sponsors, however applicants can be based in Scotland or further afield, nationally and internationally.

You should be able to demonstrate a viable project proposal and have the means and expertise to complete the project within the timeframe and budget requested. The proposed project and any funding provided must provide a clear and justifiable benefit to the call sponsor(s), but may also have wider benefits across the offshore wind sector in Scotland and beyond.

No. Proposals from the Highlands and Islands region are particularly welcome to ensure economic benefits local to the call sponsors, however applicants can be based in Scotland or further afield, nationally and internationally.

Our online application form must be completed. Applicants will need to share information on the project including targets, expected impacts and outcomes, benefit of the innovation to the business, and estimated project costs. 

The deadline for our second innovation call is 1pm, Wednesday 9 April 2025.

All applications will be assessed fairly and anonymously. Responses will be directed to the main candidate and will be received within 25 working days of the application closure deadline.

The application process requires you to provide details on a project therefore it is required that the idea should be developed to a stage where a project timeline and estimated cost is available. If applicants cannot provide enough detail on the project proposal it is unlikely your award application will be successful.

If you’re not at this stage, but would like to register interest, please email emec@offshoreinnovation.scot.

We haven’t confirmed dates for future innovation calls yet.

To register your interest in future calls, please email emec@offshoreinnovation.scot stating which challenge areas you're interested in. We are keeping track of interest in the wider challenge areas and will take that into account in developing the next innovation call focus areas with our programme sponsor(s).

You may also wish to follow EMEC and/or West of Orkney Windfarm on LinkedIn for updates on the R&I Programme.

The ultimate goal of the programme is to facilitate innovation. EMEC regularly engages with novel technology developers and understands the need to protect intellectual property (IP). Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) can be put in place on a case-by-case basis using EMEC’s standard NDA. Please reach out to us at emec@offshoreinnovation.scot if an NDA is required.

It is not the intention of EMEC or the R&I Programme to own any IP from the ideas submitted or the projects supported. However, call sponsor(s) may require specific arrangements (e.g. preferential commercial terms or ownership of specific documents created) to be made with the Sponsored Projects to ensure there is mutual benefit following the sponsorship. Please refer to call T&Cs for more details.