Eight companies from North East England have been selected for the first cohort of the North East Offshore Wind Innovation and Demonstration (NEOWIND) programme, which will provide them with a share of GBP 1.87 million (EUR 2.24 million) to develop technologies for the offshore renewable energy sector.
Delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and funded by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, the programme will support the selected companies from November 2026 until July 2028.
The eight companies are Succorfish (North Tyneside), TRL 9 Ltd, Kinewell, SeaThor, H2CHP Ltd and Spirit Advisory (Newcastle upon Tyne), Acuity Robotics (Northumberland), and Sensing 360 (Newcastle upon Tyne).
Among the technologies to be developed is Cyclonox, a process being developed by North Shields-based TRL 9 Ltd to treat end-of-life wind turbine blades and assess which materials can be recovered for reuse. The company aims to develop a commercially viable process that can recover both energy and useful materials from the blades.
Acuity Robotics will use the programme's support to develop an advanced robotic inspection system for wind turbine towers and offshore support structures. The technology aims to make inspections safer and more efficient, reducing the need for personnel to work in hazardous environments. The company plans to develop and test the system in Blyth.
The NEOWIND programme, which has a total budget of GBP 4.5 million (EUR 5.39 million) over three years, will support offshore wind and subsea businesses across North East England, covering Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham. The programme provides research and development grant funding as well as technical and business support from ORE Catapult.
NEOWIND builds on the six years of supply chain support delivered through the TIGGOR programme and is sponsored by Equinor and Morven Offshore Wind Farm, with regional ports, universities and business organisations also involved in the wider programme.