BW Ideol and the industrial scaling of floating wind

Selected under the European Innovation Fund programme, the Fos3F project, led by BW Ideol, aims to industrialise the manufacturing of floaters for floating offshore wind. This project represents an important step in strengthening the competitiveness of the sector in Europe and supporting its industrial scaling.

To ensure the successful preparation of this particularly demanding application, BW Ideol – which has been developing floating wind solutions for several years, with the aim of contributing to its large-scale deployment in Europe – enlisted Zabala Innovation as a consultancy specialising in innovation funding.

“Our ambition with Fos3F was to structure an industrial tool capable of improving the competitiveness of our floaters and supporting market growth,” explains Anne-Laure Henry, Project Manager at BW Ideol.

The Innovation Fund quickly emerged as the appropriate instrument given the scale of the project. “We identified this programme as a relevant lever, considering the project’s industrial dimension and its contribution to tackling global warming. However, we also knew that competition would be strong and that the level of scrutiny would be high,” underlines Henry.

It was at this point that the team decided to rely on Zabala Innovation to structure the application. The consultancy had previously worked with BW Ideol on Velella, another funded project, this time under the national DEMO-TASE scheme. “We were looking for support that could help us organise the work, clarify our key messages and ensure that the proposal fully met the programme’s expectations,” recalls Henry.

Overcoming challenges together

Preparing the project required significant structuring work, particularly to demonstrate industrial maturity and the expected impacts. According to Henry, “the main challenge was translating our industrial vision into a clear, coherent and well-argued proposal, demonstrating the robustness of the model, the credibility of the timeline and the project’s environmental impact.”

The collection of technical and financial data, the justification of emissions reductions and ensuring consistency across the different sections of the proposal were key steps. At each of these milestones, “Zabala Innovation’s support enabled us to organise the elements effectively,” says the Project Manager. “Their methodology helped us prioritise information and enhance the clarity of the project,” she adds.

The process was based on clear organisation and iterative work. “The collaboration took place in a constructive spirit. Exchanges were regular and solution-oriented. This enabled us to move forward in a structured way despite tight deadlines,” notes Henry.

Zabala Innovation as a facilitator

Within the framework of Fos3F, Zabala Innovation was involved exclusively during the preparation phase, with a role focused on structuring and consolidating the application. “Their expertise in European funding instruments, and in the Innovation Fund programme in particular, was a real asset. They helped us anticipate evaluators’ expectations and ensure the overall consistency of the proposal,” specifies Henry.

The selection of the Fos3F project among 359 applications confirms its robustness and its alignment with European priorities.

Photo : BW Ideol / V. Joncheray