Helping Australia’s emerging offshore wind industry have
a net positive impact on the ocean, biodiversity, and climate.

Applications close: 18 Dec 2024

The ocean is home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity and absorbs 90% of excess heat generated by our changing climate.

With the global blue economy valued at $2.5tn, and the offshore wind (OSW) industry expanding rapidly – experiencing a 15% growth in 2023 – the science is clear: the ocean provides solutions to our greatest challenges.

Beyond its crucial role in the energy transition, how can responsible offshore wind also have a net-positive impact on the ocean and biodiversity?

The Offshore Wind Net Positive Challenge presented by Southerly Ten will create opportunities for innovative Australian and New Zealand companies to work with the emerging OSW industry, enabling it to be a force for good for the climate, ocean, and biodiversity.

Why Should You Apply?

Select organisations can benefit from:

Meet leaders from Southerly Ten and the OSW Industry

Industry Connections

Investor Access

Meet active blue economy and climate investors

Prospective Customers

Exposure to potential customers from across ANZ and the world

Community

Join OIO’s startup community and access future growth opportunities

Exposure

Broad awareness for your solution across OIO website, social media, and other communication platforms

Grow Your Network

Expand your network, including to experts in science & technology

Apply for the challenge

To date “no net loss” has been industry best practice – often set out in national and state regulations – aiming to avoid and mitigate the impacts of offshore infrastructure projects. But what if the OSW industry went beyond this? Southerly Ten and OIO believe that innovative solutions can help responsible offshore infrastructure projects have a net-positive impact – improving climate outcomes whilst actively enhancing biodiversity.

Going Beyond “No Net Loss”

Source: SeaAhead. (June 2024). The Wind, Wings, Fins, and Shells: Innovations to Support Biodiversity in Offshore Wind.

Challenge Categories

Key Dates

Application
Period

13 November – 18 December 2024

Applications
Assessed

27 January – 21 February 2025

Finalists
Informed

Week of 24 February 2025

Finalist Showcase (Virtual)

Week of 3 March 2025

Successful Solutions Showcased

Sydney Climate Action Week
Week of 10 March 2025

Apply Now

Evaluation CRITERIA

Alignment to challenge categories

How does your solution address the objectives and focus areas of the OSW Challenge?

Technical viability
& feasibility

Is your solution technically sound and feasible to implement with current or near-future technologies?

Expertise & Experience

Does your team and any partners involved possess the necessary expertise and relevant experience to successfully execute the project?

Scalability

Can your solution be scaled up to effectively meet offshore wind demands?

Innovation

Does your submission demonstrate innovation and creative problem-solving? What is the innovative merit of your solution?

Impact

What is the potential impact of your solution on advancing the Offshore Wind Net Positive Challenge objectives?

FAQS

We welcome submissions from startups, scaleups, science institutions, and small-medium enterprises.
Subissions from anything not directly connected to the solution categories, such as consulting and services firms, advocacy groups, etc.
Offshore wind energy is a fast-growing global industry in which innovative solutions are needed and adopted to support its continued sustainable growth. Southerly Ten is one of many offshore wind developers seeking solutions to adopt as projects are rolled out.
Once you submit your application, all submissions will be funnelled through a panel of domain experts, which includes the Southerly Ten team.
Finalists will be selected to showcase in front of a virtual panel of domain experts the week of 3 March 2025. The winning solutions will be announced at Climate Action Week in Sydney on the week of 10 March 2025.