The Crown Estate has opened a £15m funding round to support the UK offshore wind supply chain.
The third Supply Chain Accelerator round offers match funding of £250,000 to £2m for early-stage development projects, The Crown Estate said.
Applications are open to projects supporting port infrastructure and fixed and floating offshore wind supply chains, it added.
The programme has awarded nearly £18m to 26 organisations in previous rounds and forms part of a wider £50m initiative.
The funding aims to support construction, deployment and maintenance of offshore wind projects and strengthen supply chain capacity.
Head of offshore wind at The Crown Estate Julia Rose said: “Maintaining the UK’s world-leading position in the offshore wind sector relies on ensuring the supply chain is able to support the large-scale construction, deployment and maintenance of offshore wind infrastructure in the pipeline.
“Our Accelerator programme, in alignment with investments from other organisations into the supply chain, is providing the financial support many early-stage projects require to help scale up from ambition to reality.”
Director of supply chains at Great British Energy Rob Gilbert said: “This announcement is a significant moment for the UK’s offshore wind supply chain as it scales to deliver our ambitious domestic project pipeline and capitalise on the export opportunities for clean energy capabilities built here in Britain.
“As the Supply Chain Accelerator enters its third round, Great British Energy will continue working closely with The Crown Estate through our £1 billion Energy, Engineered in the UK Programme to ensure innovative businesses can access the support they need to grow, creating jobs and delivering a cheaper, more secure energy system.”