CAN DO Scottish Offshore Wind Innovation Feasibility Challenge Call - now closed

The CAN DO Scottish Offshore Wind Innovation Feasibility Challenge Call offers grant support to Scottish companies to conduct a detailed design, technical, and/or commercial feasibility project. Your project should support the development of innovative products and services that address the offshore wind industry’s key challenges.

The grant offers between £30,000 and £50,000, and can fund up to 100% of the cost of your feasibility project.

The amount awarded will be based on the actual cost to your company. Only one application per company will be considered. 

Your project must be completed within three months, by 30 June 2026.

This challenge call is part of our Offshore Wind Innovation Programme. This new programme will support Scottish companies to enhance their innovation capacity.

This call aims to identify and support the strongest innovations from the Scottish supply chain that can address the priority innovation challenges identified by the offshore wind industry. Your innovation should reduce the levelised cost of offshore wind production and help to develop a sustainable Scottish supply chain that exports its knowledge, services, and products globally.

Please note that innovation refers to improvements to existing products and services, or the development of entirely new ones.

This is a competitive call and your project will be assessed using ranked assessment.

This grant can cover up to 100% of your eligible project costs. Eligible costs include:

• Employee wages
• Contractors
• Consultants
• Supplies and materials
• Travel costs

For more details, you can check our guidance on eligible project costs.

Download our eligible project costs guidance (PDF, 300 KB) opens in a new window 

Projects must be completed in full by 30 June 2026, and all costs paid for by that date.

The challenge covers a wide area across the offshore wind supply chain. We're looking for innovative solutions in the following areas:

We're keen to hear about other innovations that could help accelerate Scotland’s move towards a net zero emissions future and drive growth in Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain.

If you're unsure if your project would qualify, please contact us at enquiries@scotent.co.uk

The funding can support detailed design, technical and/or commercial feasibility projects. To be eligible, your project must be:

• An R&D feasibility project that clearly addresses the challenge brief
• A solution at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4-7
• Aimed at providing the technical detail and commercial case for subsequent prototype development and demonstration projects
• Aiming to develop and commercialise innovative technology
• Completed within three months
• Completed by 30 June 2026
• Based in Scotland, with project activity largely carried out in Scotland – following the feasibility project, the aim should be to prototype and demonstrate the solution in Scotland

Your project should meet the following objectives:

• Your solution should help accelerate the implementation of Scottish offshore wind projects - supporting a reduction in carbon emissions to help drive Scotland’s ambition for a zero-emissions future.
• You should be planning to develop and demonstrate prototype solutions in Scotland.
• The prototype solutions can be at the whole, subsystem, or key component level.
• The solutions should address at least one of the defined innovation areas.
• You should intend to commercialise the solution, and this commercialisation must support Scotland’s energy transition. There must be a clear long-term impact from the project in terms of Scottish jobs that support the green economy.

This call is open to businesses of any size. To be eligible, your business must:

• Be registered or have an address in Scotland
• Be a registered company (a company that’s registered with Companies House)
• Be an individual business – we can’t accept applications from collaborations
• Be committed to fair working practices

Fair work is work that offers all individuals an effective voice, opportunity, security, fulfilment and respect. It also includes paying employees at least the real Living Wage (currently £13.45 in Scotland).

You can find out more about fair working practices and access free resources using the Fair Work Employer Support Toolopens in a new window.

Funding will be provided in line with the UK subsidy control rules on minimal financial assistance that are in place at the time you receive the funding.

You'll be asked to provide details of any other recent funding you've received as minimal financial assistance or as de minimis. In line with UK subsidy control rules, no grant can be provided by us if it means you would exceed your minimal financial assistance (MFA) allowance of £315,000 (or if applicable your de minimis threshold) within the current and past two financial years.

You must also not have started the project, or committed to any project costs, before a grant funding contract is signed.

We'll consider several different factors, specifically:

• How well your proposal meets the challenge brief 
• The potential impact on Scottish jobs
• How innovative your proposal is
• The robustness of your project plan
• The experience and capability of your team
• The justification of your budget and value for money
• Commercial potential of the proposal

• Call opens: 10 November 2025
• Webinar: 11am on 10 December 2025
• Deadline to apply: 12pm (midday) on 9 January 2026
• Notification of results: week commencing 9 February 2026
• Contract issued by: 27 February 2026
• Earliest project start date: 2 March 2026
• Latest project end date: 30 June 2026 (projects must not exceed three months)

• If you're awarded the grant, you'll be given a dedicated specialist to support you throughout your project development.
• If successful, you'll also be expected to present your findings at an event after you complete your project
• Applications to this competitive challenge call will be assessed and ranked by Scottish Enterprise and appropriate enterprise agency partners.

If you're looking for more information about Scotland's offshore wind opportunity, you can check the following sources:

• SOWEC Innovation Guideopens in a new window 
• Floating Wind: Anchoring the Next Generation Offshoreopens in a new window
• ETIP Wind strategic research and innovation agendaopens in a new window 
• Offshore Wind Industrial Growth Planopens in a new window 
• Scottish Offshore Wind Manufacturing Supply Chain Factsheetsopens in a new window 
• Floating Wind Turbine Foundations for North Sea Conditionsopens in a new window 
• Offshore Wind Innovation Hubopens in a new window 
• Floating Offshore Wind Centre of Excellenceopens in a new window