Projects must be led by a single enterprise with a registered address in the North East MSA area or commit to establishing one before project commencement.

North East MSA area is defined as: Northumberland, North-Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham (administrative area not ceremonial county).

Applications from academic institutions, charities, not for profits, public sector organisation or a research and technology organisation (RTO) will not be accepted.

Projects must:

Projects should:

• Be led by a single enterprise with a registered address in the North East MSA area or commit to establishing one before project commencement
• Request grant funding between £150,000 and £300,000.
• Be able to start no later than 1 November 2026 and complete by 31 July 2028.
• Demonstrate ambition for business growth (e.g. turnover, jobs, exports, IP).
• Demonstrate a clear commercial use case and market opportunity within the offshore wind sector.
• Comply with both the RDI streamlined route for subsidy control and the eligible costs outlined in the scope and guidance
• Focus on developing innovative or competitive solutions for offshore wind.
• Not be classified as an ailing enterprise.
• Demonstrate a clear intention to develop and commercially exploit new technologies, services, or intellectual property.
• Show clear plans to exploit project outcomes within or from the North East MSA region.
• Demonstrate the ability to provide an appropriate level of match funding.
• Demonstrate that the project would not proceed without grant support (additionality).
• Not have already received grant funding for the same scope and project outcome.

• Provide evidence of end-user support or sponsorship
• Demonstrate capability to develop and commercially exploit new technologies, services, or intellectual property.

Innovations that accelerate the sustainable deployment of offshore wind, reduce environmental impacts, extend asset value and embed circular principles across the full project lifecycle.

• Accelerating project development and consenting
  Innovation technologies, tools and processes that reduce project development timelines, improve consenting efficiency, strengthen environmental assessment capabilities and enhance evidence-based decision making throughout the offshore wind planning and approval process
• Asset life extension and circular end-of-life solutions
  Innovations that enable the life extension, repowering, reuse and recycling of offshore wind assets and components, maximising value and reducing lifetime environmental impacts
• Decarbonisation and circularity across the asset lifecycle
  Solutions that reduce carbon emissions and increase circularity throughout the offshore wind project lifecycle including innovations in materials, manufacturing, operations, maintenance and decommissioning

Innovations that improve the safety, efficiency, reliability and cost effectiveness of offshore wind installation and O&M across both fixed and deep water developments.

• Robotics and autonomous systems for offshore intervention
  Innovative robotic, autonomous and remotely operated technologies capable of interacting with assets resulting in increased safety, productivity and availability.
• Major component replacement and exchange
  Solutions that optimise the planning, logistics and execution of major component exchange activities, reducing vessel dependencies, downtime and lifecycle costs.
• Novel foundation technologies and installation methods
  Innovations in fixed and deep water foundation design, fabrication and installation that improve constructability, reduce costs, enhance scalability and support deployment in increasingly challenging environments.
• Digital and AI-Enabled Offshore Wind Operations
  Digital, data-driven and AI solutions that enhance asset performance, operational decision making, installation planning, logistics and predictive maintenance across the offshore wind lifecycle.

Innovations that enhance the efficiency, capacity, resilience and digitisation of ports supporting offshore wind deployment, assembly and O&M.

• Smart port logistics and asset management
  Innovative technologies that improve offshore wind port logistics through enhanced asset visibility, tracking, automation and operational optimisation leading to increased efficiency across storage, handling and movement of components and equipment.
• Port energy infrastructure and electrification
  Solutions that advance portside energy infrastructure, including vessel charging, energy storage, temporary power provision and grid integration.
• Heavy lift, marshalling and assembly optimisation
  Innovations that improve the efficiency, safety and scalability of heavy life operations, component marshalling, pre-assembly and installation activities enabling the deployment of larger offshore wind assets.
• AI-Enabled digital ports
  AI, digital twin data integration and advanced connectivity solutions including applications of 5G and emerging communication technologies that enable smarter, more connected data-driven port operations and logistics

Innovations that enhance the reliability, performance, resilience and scalability of offshore wind electrical and marine infrastructure enabling efficient deployment and long-term asset performance

• Advanced subsea cable technologies
  Innovative cable technologies and solutions that improve the performance, reliability, monitoring, inspection, maintenance and repair of offshore power cables including advancements in geotechnics, anchoring systems and cable-seabed interaction.
• Seabed operations and installation optimisation
  Innovations that improve the efficiency, safety and effectiveness of seabed operations, including trenching, cable burial, installation and protection across a range of conditions and depths.
• Innovations in transmission and energy systems
  Solutions that advance offshore transmission infrastructure including high-voltage AC and DC technologies, increased cable capacity and capability, offshore grid architecture and integrated energy storage systems.

Cross-cutting innovations with the potential to address strategic challenges facing the offshore wind sector and deliver significant benefits in safety, security and cost reduction. Examples are provided below but are not limited to.

• Health, safety and workforce wellbeing
  Innovative technologies and processes that enhance the health, safety and wellbeing of personnel across all stages of the offshore wind project lifecycle, from development and construction through to O&M
• Critical infrastructure protection and security
  Solutions that strengthen the protection, monitoring and resilience of critical offshore wind infrastructure, including physical and cyber security for offshore assets, subsea systems, transmission networks and shoreside facilities.
• Cross sector technology transfer
  Innovative solutions and technologies with proven application in other industries that can be adapted to address challenges and improve performance across the offshore wind sector.

An in-person launch event and grant funding workshop will be held at Science Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on Wednesday 29 July, 10am-2pm. Click here to register for a place.

A formal question window will run from the 7th July – 21 August 2026, questions can be submitted to the NEOWIND@ore.catapult.org.uk email address, any questions submitted outside of this window or to other contacts will not be responded to.