Pre-Commercial Procurement: Design, develop, and demonstrate wave energy converter systems (EuropeWave PCP).

Descriptions

This procurement takes the form of a pre-commercial procurement (PCP). In a PCP, R&D service contracts are awarded to several R&D service providers in parallel to progressively develop solutions in a phased approach. This allows the procurers to compare several design solutions in a competitive environment. The EuropeWave PCP combines the phased approach of the PCP model, a stage-gated industrial development process, and an international evaluation and guidance framework for ocean energy technology. Each selected operator will be awarded a framework agreement that covers up to three R&D phases: Phase 1: Concept development Phase 2: Design/modelling Phase 3: Open-sea deployment & testing programme After each phase, intermediate evaluations will be carried out to progressively select the best of the competing solutions. The contractors with the best-value-for-money solutions will be offered a call-off contract for the next phase, under the framework agreement. Phase 1 is expected to start in January 2022. Phase 3 is expected to start in September 2023 and conclude in May 2026. The selected operators will retain ownership of the intellectual property rights (IPRs) that they generate during the PCP and will be able to use them to exploit the full market potential of the developed solutions. This procurement receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, under grant agreement No 883751. The EU is not participating as a contracting authority in the procurement.