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 and research institutions in the local community and further afield, nationally and internationally.

Applicants should have a demonstrable track record of operating within the energy sector supply chain.

You should be able to demonstrate a viable project proposal and have the means and expertise to complete the project. The proposed project and any funding provided must provide a clear and justifiable benefit to the West of Orkney Windfarm, but may also have wider benefits across the offshore wind sector in the North of Scotland and beyond.

Businesses headquartered or with an operational base in Scotland are preferred, but this is not an essential requirement providing there is demonstrable economic or other benefit to Scotland.

An 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 first innovation call is 1pm, Monday 12 February 2024.

All applications will be assessed fairly and anonymously. Responses will be directed to the main candidate and will be received within ten 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.

It is not the intention of the programme to own any intellectual property (IP) from the ideas submitted or the projects supported. The ultimate goal of the programme is to facilitate innovation. EMEC regularly engages with novel technology developers and understands the need to protect 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.