Solution Requirements
Functional requirements
The UK economic opportunities from our sector are significant too includes the development of high-tech solutions right across the board in plant and machinery, installation and operations. The sheer volume of opportunities that will arise from improved and innovative manufacturing techniques, servicing, data collection and digitalisation processes lend themselves to the enabling of new and emerging sectors that the UK is already beginning to capture, including battery storage, AI and robotics. The open category is inviting innovative solutions that can support the development of the next generation wind farms and improve the efficiency of the current wind farms.
Technical Characteristics
- Next-generation predictive maintenance
- Floating wind
- Smart O&M
- Robotics and AI
The open category is inviting any innovative solution that can support the development of the next generation wind farms and improve the efficiency of the current wind farms. All technology innovations that can serve the offshore renewable energy sector are invited to apply for the programme.
Timescales
- Launch of the Competition: 15th November 2021
- Deadline for applications: 15th December 2021
- Selection and notification of finalists: week commencing 10th January 2022
- Pitch event: 8th February 2022
- Launch Academy begins end of February 2022
We are open to solutions that are almost ready for prototype testing (e.g. within 6 months of competition win) but we also welcome solutions that are more radical but could take longer (e.g. prototype within 2 years of competition win).
Market opportunity
UK has the largest installed offshore wind capacity in the world, with 9.8 gigawatts (GW) installed. Over the next decade, there will be a huge expansion of offshore wind around the world with some estimates envisaging a 17% annual growth from 22GW to 154GW in total installed capacity by 2030. In the UK, this could see offshore wind contributing up to 30GW of generating capacity.
Eligibility
Entrants to this competition must be:
Assessment
Applications will be assessed on:
- Relevance to the topic
- Innovative nature of the subject
- Feasibility
- Development potential
- Maturity of project/solution
- Ability to launch project quickly/Ease of implementation
- Price/quality ratio
- Suitability for the UK and European market
IP and potential commercial route
- Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Launch Academy Participant(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the Launch Academy Participant (s) and Launch Academy Sponsors.
- Any commercial deployment of transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the Launch Academy Participant(s) and Launch Academy Sponsors.
- Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the Launch Academy Participant (s) and Launch Academy Sponsors. ORE Catapult does not take any share of IP ownership or enter commercial ventures through the Launch Academy programme.
De-Minimis Disclaimer
Scottish Companies successful in the Launch Academy programme are supported by the De-Minimis funding provided by Scottish Enterprise.
If you have had public sector support, you should have been notified in writing of any de minimis element when the aid was awarded. You should have also been notified of the type of De-Minimis aid that you have received. The most common type of de minis aid is ‘general’ De-Minimis. However, other types of De-Minimis are given for the fishery and aquaculture sector, agricultural sector and services of general economic interest. If applicable, prior to granting De-Minimis aid, [we] must obtain a declaration from you, in written or electronic form, about any other de minimis aid. If selected for the second stage of interview process for the Launch Academy Programme, you are required as part of this application process to declare any such aid previously provided by a public body to your company or any company that you are linked to.
Please note that where De-Minimis funding is awarded under the exception in Article 3.2.4 of Title XI of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement signed on 30 December 2020 (as implemented by section 29 of the European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020) (the “TCA”), any previous amounts awarded to you from a public source in the UK in the last 3 fiscal years under either Article 3.2.4 of Title XI of the TCA or under EC Commission Regulation No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to De-Minimis aid will be relevant in ensuring any funding provided does not exceed the maximum subsidy limit of 325,000 Special Drawing Rights under Article 3.2.4 of Title XI of the TCA. Please provide full information on any previous funding you have received under Article 3.2.4 of Title XI the TCA and/or EC De-Minimis Regulation 1407/2013 in the last 3 fiscal years.
Any funding which you have received under the UK COVID-19 Temporary Framework for UK authorities does not need to be included as De-Minimis funding.
APPLY NOW
