Grant scheme Supply Chain Innovation for Offshore Renewable Energy (SCORE) has named the first three East Anglian SMEs to bag funding.
North-Norfolk based offshore wind farm specialist Tidal Transit will pocket £48,000 from the grant programme to back the development of the latest addition to its fleet.
The vessel is being developed in collaboration with Norwegian company Umoe Mandal and the SCORE cash will be used to keep the Tidal Transit team “involved at every stage of the design and build process”.
Tidal Transit commercial director Leo Hambro said: “With the heritage of the company laying in the day fishing industry, innovation has been key to the evolution of the company and was pivotal in our bid for Score funding.
“Securing such a significant grant enables us to be totally ‘hands on’ throughout the development and build of the first WaveCraft vessel which, when operational, will reaffirm our position as pioneers in supporting the region’s latest generation of offshore wind farms.”
Elsewhere, Lowestoft-based energy recruitment company PWE Recruitment Group Ltd, which has an office at OrbisEnergy, has been awarded £10,000. The award will help the company “progress its outsourced recruitment project with a dedicated member of staff based at 3Sun Group’s Great Yarmouth office”.
Managing director Stuart Smith said: “Our plan to provide a recruitment outsourcing service to companies in the offshore energy sector is an innovative first in East Anglia.”
The third company to clinch Score funding is Lowestoft-based Scour Prevention Systems, which also gets £10,000.
Project manager Warren Hoskins-Davies said: “The grant has enabled us to secure intellectual property rights for our technology as well as investigating the practicalities of installation, such as anchoring techniques.”
The Score programme delivers a £2.5m funding investment through the European Regional Development Fund with grants ranging from £2500 up to a maximum of 30% of the project’s eligible costs or £50,000.
Score business advisor Richard Salmon said: “Our region’s offshore renewable energy sector provides East Anglian businesses with a unique landscape on which to develop innovative ideas, processes and services.
“Recipients of funding will all help strengthen the area’s capability for innovation and as we announce news of the diverse range of projects funded, we hope others will be encouraged to apply for grant funding.”
Score operates out of offshore renewables innovation and incubation centre OrbisEnergy and is managed by NWES.
Press release, March 13, 2014; Image: ni4b