To achieve this, we have designed a seven month business accelerator programme for companies looking to break into the offshore wind sector. We have secured funding from NTCA, through the Technology Innovation & Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) programme, and support from a wide range of specialist companies, ensuring that successful businesses joining the accelerator will have a unique package of business and technical expertise from the delivery partners.

The programme will take 10 successful applicants through nine core modules, offering funding, legal, IP, accountancy and investor readiness support, as well as modules delivered by ORE Catapult such as technology assessment, supply chain readiness and business case review.

At the end of the seven month programme, the innovators will demonstrate and pitch their final cleantech solution to the partners, investors and end-users. The success of the programme will be measured by the number of innovative businesses securing investment, demonstrators or partnerships with end users.

Benefits to SMEs

By joining Launch Academy North East of England, your business will receive bespoke support helping tackle your biggest challenges in commercialising your technology, including: 

• Support in navigating your entry into the offshore renewables sector. 
• A series of bespoke modules, delivered in a combination of group and one-to-one settings 
• Testing your value proposition and business model with technical experts and understanding from potential industrial customers across the value chain 
• Structuring capital raising and pitches to investors including how to understand and articulate your value proposition 
• Structuring your business optimally from a legal and tax perspective, such as how to make your business a tax-efficient investment opportunity and how to draw up novel agreements with your early-adopter customers 

• Connecting into ORE Catapult’s extensive energy industry network to maximise opportunities available to your company 
• Creating and developing your brand, and the stories you are promoting to your key stakeholders, how they will be heard ensuring that you are maximising all of the valuable story-telling tools at your disposable 
• What IP you might be developing or holding in your business (beyond the immediately obvious), how to develop an IP strategy, protecting your IP, developing an IP strategy and applying for patents 
• Understanding the value of sales and marketing, the difference between them, and how to use them to your advantage in making your initial sales of your new product/service/technology 

Key Dates