Five technology companies in the North East of England have been selected to fast track their route to market through ORE Catapult’s Technology, Innovation and Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) programme.
Kinewell Energy, Pulcea, Soil Machine Dynamics, Walker Subsea and Acuity Robotics will receive a share of £1.2m through the one-year programme, funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
Magnus Willett, programme manager for the TIGGOR programme at ORE Catapult, said: “The TIGGOR programme will support companies within the North of Tyne area to de-risk and accelerate their technology, and boost the local offshore renewable energy supply chain.
“Crucially it provides an opportunity for these businesses to demonstrate their technology to our commercial partners, Equinor and EDF Renewables, receive business support designed specifically for the offshore renewables market, and encourage academic engagement – increasing their chances of success in this multi-billion pound industry.”
This will be round two of the TIGGOR programme (TIGGOR 2) following the first phase in 2021 that created 22 new jobs, 11 new traineeships and introduced 10 unique products onto the market, including digital twin software for wind farm projects and turbine monitoring sensors.
It directly supported nine North East England companies and supported a further 44 businesses through a variety of support programmes.
To date, TIGGOR has generated an estimated £4.4m for the UK economy and is forecast to create a total of 118 jobs over the next five years.
The five TIGGOR 2 companies are now expected to develop unique offshore renewable energy solutions over the next year that will further benefit the UK offshore renewable market and wider global industry.
Over the course of the programme, Equinor and EDF Renewables will also provide technology assessment and advice on how technologies can be applied to offshore wind.
ORE Catapult will also offer business support and access to test and demonstration facilities at its National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.