Ten companies targeting success in the offshore renewables market have secured a place in the inaugural Launch Academy Scotland programme, backed by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult’s technology accelerator scheme.
Each of the early-stage businesses pitched their technology solutions in response to challenges set by Launch Academy Scotland’s industry sponsors.
The selection panel comprised representatives from ORE Catapult, sponsors Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, global renewable energy developers BlueFloat Energy/Nadara Partnership, Ocean Winds and Inch Cape Offshore Wind Farm.
The successful companies – Airspection, AJT Engineering, Fathom Group, Fennex, Frontier Robotics, Innovair, Kraken Robotics, Revive Geoscience, Smarter Subsea (Handling) and Subworx – are developing innovative technologies capable of derisking and reducing costs for the wider offshore wind sector, helping to accelerate deployment of renewable energy and assisting the UK in meeting its ambitious renewable energy targets and net zero ambitions.
Since 2020, through both national and regional programmes across the United Kingdom, Launch Academy has supported 57 companies which have gone on to raise £26.7m in private investment, £8.4m in grant funding and had 150 patents filed.
Director of strategy and emerging technologies at ORE Catapult Stephen Wyatt said: “We recognise that the industry-focused thinking, creativity and collaborative approach demonstrated by Launch Academy supply chain companies will be instrumental in helping the sector deliver its crucial role in achieving energy security and clean renewable energy targets while smoothing the transition towards net zero.”
Inch Cape’s innovation champion and interface manager Shane Macken added: “I would like to congratulate the 10 innovators who made it through to the ORE Catapult Launch Academy Scotland programme as they begin their seven-month journey to accelerate the commercialisation of their innovations.
“As a judge, it was eye-opening to see the strength and creativity within the applications which ranged from ingenious uses of existing technologies to fully original concepts.”