Shining the Spotlight on energy at the Scotland Manufacturing Conference

We recently hosted an invigorating ‘Energy Spotlight’ panel session at the 2026 Scotland Manufacturing Conference & Supply Chain Expo at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre, Glasgow.

Chaired by the Hub’s Programme Director Lynne McIntosh-Grieve, the session was titled “From Ambition to Advantage: Building the Innovation, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Landscape for Offshore Wind”.

Guest panelists included Rosalind Hart, co-founder of Quoceant – specialist marine and subsea engineering consultancy and offshore innovation experts; Eamon Hanley, Managing Director of Slipform Engineering Limited – specialists in design and build of innovative slipform project solutions; Remi Zante, Deputy Chief Technical Officer at NMIS (National Manufacturing Institute Scotland) – driving the future of manufacturing through innovation – and Alex MacPhie, Industrial Development Strategy Manager for the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership (OWGP) – Delivery Body for the offshore wind sector’s Industrial Growth Plan.

The lively discussion explored the crucial role of innovation and competitiveness alongside some of the specific challenges and opportunities encountered by UK companies entering the offshore wind sector, with particular reference to the five priority areas outlined in the 2024 Industrial Growth Plan (IGP) for offshore wind. 

Collaboration, coordination and alignment, and the opportunities for job creation and sustained economic growth for the UK featured prominently, underpinned by how we can most effectively build a robust, competitive supply chain for offshore wind – one capable of being leveraged to translate our significant industrial strengths into sustainable future opportunities.  

That this will include harnessing transferable skills honed in sectors including oil and gas capable of being adapted to unlock new opportunities in offshore wind. The need for targeted support for SMEs to help them to ‘stay the course’ was supported, coupled with the importance of bringing together and closely connecting ‘all of the actors’ in the offshore wind sector, and with the Industrial Growth Plan cited as a valuable resource to help supply chain companies identify opportunities while aligning the wider ecosystem behind a shared vision.

Lynne McIntosh-Grieve, Programme Director for The Wind Innovation Hub said:
“The Wind Innovation Hub partnership – funded by Innovate UK – exists to accelerate the development, testing and adoption of new technologies aligned to the five priority technology areas identified in The Industrial Growth Plan that strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of the sector.

“We encourage innovative UK companies developing these key technologies to get in touch and learn more about how we can assist by signposting you to appropriate sources of support.”