Companies across North East England will be able to access a new £4.5 million funding programme aimed at accelerating the development and commercialisation of offshore renewable energy technologies.

The North East Offshore Wind Innovation and Demonstration (NEOWIND) programme is funded by the North East Mayor and delivered by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult. Running until March 2029, the initiative will inject £4.5 million into the regional economy over three years to support innovative offshore wind businesses across Northumberland, North Tyneside, Newcastle upon Tyne, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and County Durham.

As part of its first competitive funding call, the programme has opened applications for up to £2.1 million in funding for developers of innovative offshore wind technologies.

According to ORE Catapult, the programme is designed to help companies develop, de-risk and accelerate new offshore renewable technologies while reducing costs, risks and time to market. In addition to financial support, participating companies will receive technical expertise from ORE Catapult and opportunities to connect with industry end users to help bring their innovations to commercial deployment.

The initiative is funded by the North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, who said the programme aims to help local businesses bring new technologies to market, create jobs and attract investment while ensuring that the transition to clean energy delivers benefits for communities across the region.

NEOWIND is sponsored by Equinor and Morven Offshore Wind Farm, whose representatives said the programme will build on previous regional innovation initiatives and help accelerate the next generation of offshore wind technologies needed to support the UK's clean energy ambitions.

The programme is being launched as North East England strengthens its position as a hub for the offshore wind industry, supported by major developments including the Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm, the upcoming Offshore Wind Leasing Round 6 in the North Sea, and a strong regional concentration of companies specialising in offshore engineering, manufacturing, subsea technologies and technical consultancy.

Additional partners supporting NEOWIND include Port of Blyth, Port of Tyne, Port of Sunderland, Newcastle University, Durham University, Northumbria University, Business Northumberland, Business North Tyneside and the Energi Coast Innovation Group.