Case: How did I apply
Project Rotor DEMO

Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution demonstration project

Norsepower got EUR 1.6 million for a two-year project to commercialise Rotor Sail Solution to the market. The solution enhances the complete propulsion system of a vessel by using wind as an auxiliary propulsion measure. Norsepower applied EU financing via Horizon 2020 SME Phase 2 instrument in 2016. 

The goal of the project was to implement Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution in full scale on a RoPax vessel to boost the sales of the solution. The idea was also to acquire performance validation and type approval for the technology. As a result, the project enabled commercialisation and faster penetration to the market.

Before finally receiving the EU funding, Norsepower had applied twice without success. Originally the company had heard about the EU funding options in an information session organised by a Finnish ministry. The biggest surprise was the difficulty to get EU funding and the amount of time and effort the application process required.

During the third application process, Norsepower decided to hire a consultant instead of preparing the application independently. The consultant was able give insights about necessary information on the project which was expected but not necessary explicitly mentioned in the funding call requirements. This was the key in achieving maximum points in the evaluation and to get funded.

Therefore, Norsepower advises to approach application process of EU funding like any other project in the company. All the projects need a plan, allocated resources, a budget and time deadlines  as basic components for success. Moreover, the need of resources to cope with the EU bureaucracy does not end in submitting the application. It is important to save all the project documentation for payments and audit.