OUR NATIONAL LA PROGRAMME
Developed to bring cutting-edge technology development and business support under one roof, the National Launch Academy provides a cohort of up to ten companies the opportunity to participate in a structured and comprehensive programme that is delivered by our team in conjunction with input from some key industry players and external delivery partners over the course of 7-9 months.
Types of support provided by our external partners include the provision of legal advice and templates for documentation such as NDAs, IP strategy clinics exploring how and when to protect intellectual property and critical input on the development of investor pitch decks.
SUPPLY CHAIN SUPPORT FROM ORE CATAPULT
In addition to gaining access to our significant in-house technical capabilities, Launch Academy cohort companies benefit from the opportunity to participate in workshops and 1-1 sessions delivered by our expert external delivery partners. This support is specific and targeted to ensure that all companies that graduate from Launch Academy have the skillsets, tools, structures and knowledge necessary to succeed in the offshore renewable energy industry.
This support is delivered via a variety of modules and includes:
Technology Development Support
Business Case, Market and Use-Case Analysis
Offshore Wind Sector Knowledge & Education
Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy Support
Legal Advice & Expertise
Strategic Accounting Support & Knowledge
Value Proposition Development
Marketing Expertise
Investment Readiness
Innovation Funding Signposting and Support
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy Development
2025 THEMES & APPLICATIONS:
Launch Academy is a technology accelerator programme with direct support and engagement with the offshore wind industry. Industry sponsors provide a direct industry pull through Launch Academy’s Technology Themes and are able to engage with cutting-edge innovation developed throughout the entire UK supply chain. The industry partners also provide a plethora of support throughout the nine-month duration of the programme, alongside our own experts in technology development, market analysis, business case development and commercialisation of innovative technologies.
Applications for the 2025 National Launch Academy are now closed.
2025 TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGES
FLOATING WIND
Launch Academy 2025 is seeking pioneering technology, services and solutions to drive the expansion of the UK’s world leading floating wind development. Floating wind will be a key enabler of the government ambitions to reach 60GW offshore wind development by 2030.
Download here
INTRODUCING 2024 COHORT
Launch Academy kicked off its latest national nine-month programme with companies from across the UK developing technology solutions to address some of the most significant challenges within offshore wind.
Technology solutions from the winning companies include subsea noise mitigation, floating offshore wind cable connection systems and an AI-based health monitoring system for wind turbine blades.
We are delighted to have 10 exciting new companies starting a Launch Academy journey with us – aiming to de-risk and validate their technology and make a real impact on the offshore wind industry… We aim to create a vibrant ecosystem that fosters innovation and accelerates the commercialisation of cutting-edge technologies that benefit offshore renewable industry and the UK’s supply chain.”
Ravneet Kaur
Senior Technology Acceleration Manager
THE 2024 COHORT COMPANIES ARE:
Location: Bridgend, Wales
Anstee Indication Systems (ais) has patented a self-checking fixing technology which detect cracks arising from fatigue and damage. The technology mitigates the risk of unidentified failures in bolts, pins and studs, leading to excessive costs, downtime, risk and ultimately, profit erosion. Real-time crack and failure alerts provide important intelligence to guide O&M activity. ais designs and manufactures its fixings in the UK.
Location: Southampton, Hampshire
Crondall Energy is a leading independent consultancy providing strategic, commercial, and technical services for offshore energy projects using floating and subsea technologies. Operating within 6 business streams, Energy Transition, Offshore Renewables, Floating Production, Subsea & Pipelines, Business Consulting & Technology Development, Crondall Energy provides a range of services that span the life cycle of an offshore energy development from concept to late life.
Location: Hinckley, Leicestershire
Indeximate were founded to tackle the critical problem of subsea cable failure. They address this by the application of fibre optic sensing to understand the condition of the cables and the state of the environment enabling preventative maintenance strategies. Their unique approach also liberates other windfarm metrics, enabling sensing to be provided as a service.
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
Kavaken is a SaaS platform that revolutionizes the way the renewable energy ecosystem runs through data. Through proprietary AI algorithms Kavaken goes beyond dashboards and produces actions that deliver value to asset owner/operators, OEMs, asset managers, insurers, financiers and M&A advisors.
Auxetec (formerly known as LC AuxeTec)
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
AuxeTec is developing, and commercialising novel auxetic polymer technology that was invented within the University of Leeds. The proprietary technology represents the ground-breaking discovery of the world’s first synthetic, molecular, auxetic, Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCE). Unlike conventional materials our polymers thicken when stressed or strained representing a completely new class of elastomeric materials.
Location: Bristol, Avon
Perceptual Robotics, established in 2016 and headquartered in the UK with operations in Greece and Spain, is a technology provider specialising in the development of advanced tools for wind turbine blade inspection. The company’s core expertise lies in integrating drones, robotics, and machine learning to offer cutting-edge inspection solutions.
Location: Blyth, Northumberland
Pulcea is a small R&D company specialising in the use of underwater physics to assist our clients in their commercial exploitation of our oceans without causing undue environmental disturbance. We work closely with selected Exploitation Partners who deliver our technology to these clients, and we encourage our academic partners to supply independent verification of it as and when required.
Location: Loanhead, Midlothian, Scotland
Quoceant is an engineering consultancy and innovation company that specialises in offshore renewable energy. Based in Scotland, the company provides design, analysis and engineering services to the offshore wind, wave, tidal and green heat sectors. Quoceant are developers of Q-Connect, a novel subsea quick connection system for the rapid connection and disconnection of offshore renewable technology to its mooring and electrical infrastructure.
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear
RTDT is a pioneering deep tech company focused on revolutionizing the offshore wind energy sector. Their flagship product, Aerosense, with Aeroelastic Physics- Assisted Artificial Intelligence (AI) Digital Twins, enable performance optimization and structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades, ensuring the efficiency, reliability, and longevity of offshore wind farms.
Location: London, UK
Werover specializes in providing AI-based solutions for wind turbine blade health monitoring. By continuously monitoring turbine blades, their technology ensures optimal performance, reduces downtime, and enhances operational efficiency for wind energy companies. With a focus on innovation and reliability, they deliver comprehensive insights to maximize the lifespan and productivity of wind turbines.
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