Acuity Robotics among eight sharing £1.87M for offshore wind tech
What's the deal? Acuity RoboticsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured a share of a £1.87 million ($2.47 million) grant as one of eight North East England companies in the first cohort of the NEOWIND programme. The three-year initiative, delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, runs until July 2028.
Who's backing it? NEOWIND is funded by the North East Mayoral Combined Authority and sponsored by Equinor and Morven Offshore Wind Farm. It carries a total budget of £4.5 million over three years.
What's the endgame? Northumberland-based Acuity Robotics will use its grant to build an advanced robotic inspection system for wind turbine towers and offshore support structures, developing and testing the technology in Blyth. The aim is to make inspections safer and cut the need for people to work in hazardous environments.
Why it stands out: The award sits in the top 1% of UK robotics grants over the past four years, based on 103 comparable rounds. "This funding gives us the opportunity to build on our existing robotic technology and develop smarter, more autonomous systems," said Jason Liu, chief technology officer at Acuity Robotics.
The rest of the cohort: The other recipients are Succorfish, TRL 9 Ltd, Kinewell, SeaThorDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, H2CHP LtdDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Spirit Advisory, and Sensing 360Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. TRL 9 Ltd is developing Cyclonox, a process to treat end-of-life wind turbine blades and recover materials for reuse.
Why now? NEOWIND builds on the six-year TIGGOR programme, which supported offshore wind innovation in the region from 2020. It arrives as the UK's latest Contracts for Difference auction secured a record 8.4GW of offshore wind, even as developers face cost and supply-chain pressures.
The signal: NEOWIND is a continuation of regional supply-chain support rather than a standalone venture bet. Its payoff depends on whether these grant-backed companies can turn development into deployable products and commercial contracts.
Read more: aol.co.uk
Image credit: bseegov
