These R&D projects address particular industry-wide challenges, by bringing together private and public funding, expertise and know-how. The participation in these projects is at the discretion of organisations who may or may not be members in our core offshore wind programmes – this is why we call them “Discretionary Projects”. 

Since 2011, the Carbon Trust has managed 25 Discretionary Projects with a budget of over £43 million and leveraging over £11 million of public funding from a range of countries; leading to cost and risk reductions in offshore wind, the creation of new standards and accelerating the expansion of the industry into new global markets. 

Organisations interested in joining a Discretionary Project can do so by signalling their interest during the setup phase. Our flexible approach allows us to push the research and innovation in the industry further. By joining a large-scale R&D project, organisations benefit from reduced R&D risks and costs, while having access to a wider pool of knowledge and skills.