Urban Foresight evaluation finds North East offshore renewables programme generated up to £24m from £9m public investment

A new report published this week reveals that a North East England offshore renewables growth programme delivered between £20m and £24m in Gross Value Added to the UK economy from a £9m public investment. The findings are based on independent evaluation work carried out by Urban Foresight across all three iterations of the Technology, Innovation and Green Growth for Offshore Renewables (TIGGOR) programme from 2020 to 2026.

Urban Foresight served as TIGGOR’s independent evaluator throughout, working across three successive commissions. The result was something pre-revenue innovation programmes rarely generate: a full retrospective value-for-money assessment, produced following Magenta Book best practice and drawing on six years of programme knowledge.

The evaluations also shaped what came next. Recommendations from each evaluation were taken up directly in subsequent iterations, with Urban Foresight’s analysis also supporting the business case for each successive funding round. A longitudinal case study on Kinewell, the only business to participate in all three iterations, followed a company that went on to win a 2025 King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

Funded by the North East Mayor and sponsored by EDF Power Solutions and Equinor, TIGGOR supported 88 businesses across Northumberland, North Tyneside and Newcastle over six years, creating 36 jobs, 25 apprenticeships and traineeships, and bringing 23 new products to market.

Image: Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult