In June 2024 The Crown Estate established a £50m Supply Chain Accelerator fund (the Accelerator) to catalyse the capacity and capability of the UK supply chain in order to support a thriving offshore wind industry. The Accelerator provides early-stage development funding for offshore wind supply chain projects, supporting them to be investment-ready.

Second round of the Supply Chain Accelerator now live 

Following the passing of The Crown Estate Act 2025, they have now launched an expanded second round of the Supply Chain Accelerator, which builds on a successful first round in 2024 where they awarded nearly £5 million to 13 organisations.  

They have increased the size of the second funding round to £15 million, with each successful applicant able to access up to £1.5 million of matched funding for UK projects that support the deployment of Offshore Wind.  

They have also increased the scope. Whilst the first round of the Supply Chain Accelerator was aimed at projects supporting the development of floating offshore wind, the second round is available to projects facilitating the deployment of both fixed and floating offshore wind.   

In this round, The Crown Estate will consider projects or facilities that support the manufacturing, fabrication and late-stage testing of fixed and floating offshore wind components, aligned with the priorities identified in the Industrial Growth Plan.

Ports which can support offshore wind (including through wet storage and the fabrication of operations & maintenance vessels) are also included within the scope, given the role that ports can play as important hubs for the construction, operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms. 

Further details can be found here.

The application window will close on Friday 27th June 2025. Successful projects will be announced before the end of the year following assessment of applications, negotiation of funding and commitment agreements and necessary approvals.