Innovation Calls

The Offshore Wind R&I Programme will sponsor innovative projects to bring new solutions to market, exploring ways to overcome the technical challenges of offshore wind development, build operational capacity and scale up activities.

We aim to give you the tools you need to support the build out of offshore wind projects throughout Scotland, the UK and further afield, whilst embedding economic benefits close to windfarm development. 

Find out more about the programme and our open innovation call in our webinar which was held on 13 March 2025. Slide deck and Q&A report are available to download here.

REGISTER FOR CALL 2 WEBINAR

We’re looking for innovation projects offering solutions to key challenges areas.

Proposed projects should:

• offer a clear innovation (i.e. the programme will not fund services that can already be procured from the market);
• provide a clear and justifiable benefit to the innovation call sponsor(s);
• have potential to bring wider benefits across the offshore wind sector, supply chain, and Scottish and UK economy.
• be up to two years’ duration.

It is not the intention of EMEC  or the R&I Programme to own any existing 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 2 terms and conditions for more details. 

For full eligibility criteria, download our Scope and Guidance.

Scope and Guidance

CALL 2 T&Cs

For full overview of the application process, download our Scope and Guidance.

Scope and Guidance

CALL 2 T&Cs

Key impact criteria

• Relevance to challenge area
• Genuinely innovative
• Technical feasibility
• Project deliverability
• Benefit to call sponsor(s), including impact on project schedule/timescales, costs, operations, and project deliverability
• Funding request and value for money
• Benefit to wider offshore wind sector
• Scottish and UK benefit, including impact on supply chain capacity
• Risk assessment, mitigations and potential impacts on call sponsor safety, reputation and assets

Platinum Sponsor, West of Orkney Windfarm, is funding the R&I Programme up to £1 million. 

Up to £300k sponsorship is available for the second innovation call however additional funding may be made available to those with the potential to have the biggest impact on the wind farm.

Candidates must detail the budget required for project completion and source of external funds that have already been secured. Funding intensity will range from 10% to 100% and is at the discretion of the Programme Governance Group. Funding intensity towards each project will be based upon:

• maturity of the project
• quality of the application
• relevance to the call sponsor.

See Scope and Guidance for full details.

Scope and Guidance

CALL 2 T&Cs

Each application will undergo preliminary screening. From experience, EMEC expects submissions to the programme to be at varying levels of maturity and credibility.

If progressing to detailed project proposal stage of the R&I Programme, EMEC will offer support to develop your proposal and collate required evidence. This may be via a physical or online workshop. Where deemed necessary, funding may be provided to support the development of a more comprehensive plan for promising ideas.

Depending on the requirements and merits of the proposed innovation, EMEC may offer support to leverage grant funding and public support.

This may include in-house support to scope out an idea and/or develop a funding application or facilitating research into the potential of the idea and the associated costs and benefits.

EMEC operates consented areas of sea-space for demonstrating offshore technologies, tools and techniques, as well as onshore facilities for energy system demonstrations. Access to these facilities to demonstrate innovations may awarded where relevant.

Find out more about EMEC’s test and demonstration facilities.

Project sponsorship should help leverage additional public and private investment into these projects, to maximise their potential impact on the West of Orkney Windfarm and wider industry.

If the innovation proves to be a game-changer in the offshore wind sector, there is a huge client base (including the West of Orkney Windfarm and other ScotWind and INTOG lease areas) who may be interested in your product and service.

Our first innovation call is supporting three pioneering projects that will enhance offshore wind operations through advanced metocean intelligence, real-time wave prediction, and high-frequency radar for more accurate weather data.

Find out more about the projects supported through call 1.

Sponsored projects