Horizon Europe commits to develop offshore wind supply chains

The strategic plan for the last three years of the program focuses on the green transition, digital transition, and building a more resilient, competitive, inclusive, and democratic Europe. The program is closely aligned with EU policies, promoting open science, sustainability, and ethical research. 

Horizon Europe aims to significantly contribute to the European Green Deal, which sets the EU on a path to climate neutrality by 2050. Offshore wind is an essential part of this strategy as a scalable source of renewable energy. The RDI program funds projects developing next-generation technologies that can increase energy production, reduce environmental impacts, and lower costs. Horizon Europe is committed to developing a sustainable and resilient supply chain for offshore wind, addressing challenges such as resource scarcity, logistics, and environmental sustainability. 

The European Commission has published the 2024 Work Programme for Horizon Europe, with several calls relevant to offshore wind, such as “Demonstrations of innovative floating wind concepts” and “Minimisation of environmental and optimisation of socio-economic impacts in the deployment, operation, and decommissioning of offshore wind farms.” These calls open in September 2024 with a deadline in January 2025.  

The new Work Programme for 2025 will be adopted in March/April 2025 and will cover, among other things, innovative manufacturing, improved reliability and optimised operations and maintenance, minimising environmental impacts, and innovative solutions to strengthen the security of renewable energy value chains. 

Norwegian Offshore Wind, together with the Horizon South Norway Network and GCE NODE, is organising a workshop on specific Horizon Europe calls relevant to the offshore wind industry. The seminar will cover relevant calls in both the 2024 and 2025 Work Programmes. The seminar will be held on the 3rd of September in Kristiansand at Bølgen Bærekraftsenter. Find more information and register here. 

Why join EU projects: 

• Funding demonstration of your innovative solutions 
• Maturing your solutions in your targeted markets 
• Building partnerships with companies that could be your customers, partners, or suppliers 
• Securing up to 70-100% funding of your innovation activities 

What you will gain by attending the seminar: 

• Presentations of relevant Horizon Europe calls for 2024 and 2025 
• Crash course in attending EU application processes 
• Pitches from companies intending to participate in Horizon Europe calls 
• Networking with other companies interested in Horizon Europe calls 
• One-on-one assistance with participating in Horizon Europe calls 

Additionally, Norwegian Offshore Wind, Innovation Norway and Horizon South Norway, are hosting an online seminar on the funding opportunities in the EIC Accelerator. You can find out more and register here.