The Client |
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Our client is a leading offshore energy services company of 1000+ staff globally with operations spanning Asia-pacific and Europe. With a growing fleet of specialised offshore support vessels and a strategic pivot into the offshore wind sector, the company had positioned itself at the forefront of the region's transition to large-scale renewable energy at sea.
Backed by a leadership team with deep maritime expertise and substantial operational assets, the company recognised that its next frontier of competitive advantage lay in technology leadership — specifically in the development of digital systems for offshore wind farm operations, next-generation vessel designs optimised for wind energy work, and proprietary technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of offshore operations. The company's vision was to establish a Centre of Excellence in Singapore, anchoring its innovation agenda in the city-state and building the capabilities needed to service the rapidly growing offshore wind market across Asia.
With a multi-year R&D roadmap and a clear ambition to lead on technology, the company needed a partner who could help structure a compelling case for government support at scale.
Backed by a leadership team with deep maritime expertise and substantial operational assets, the company recognised that its next frontier of competitive advantage lay in technology leadership — specifically in the development of digital systems for offshore wind farm operations, next-generation vessel designs optimised for wind energy work, and proprietary technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of offshore operations. The company's vision was to establish a Centre of Excellence in Singapore, anchoring its innovation agenda in the city-state and building the capabilities needed to service the rapidly growing offshore wind market across Asia.
With a multi-year R&D roadmap and a clear ambition to lead on technology, the company needed a partner who could help structure a compelling case for government support at scale.
How RIC Helped |
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Grant Secured:
RIC supported the client in successfully securing the Enterprise Singapore Research and Innovation Scheme for Companies (RIS(C)) grant — one of the most prestigious and competitive innovation grants in Singapore's enterprise support landscape. The approved grant quantum of S$5.24 million covers R&D manpower costs and specialised equipment, software, and other project expenditure over a four-year qualifying period. RIC was engaged to architect the full grant package for this project - not to review or refine what the client had already prepared, but to design, build, and drive the entire application from the ground up. Given the scale of the engagement, spanning three distinct R&D pillars, a multi-year commitment, and a total project value exceeding S$16 million, this required RIC to function simultaneously as programme designer, financial modeller, technology narrative author, KPI negotiator, and project manager across a large and complex organisation.
Scope of RIC’s Consulting and Advisory Services:
RIC was engaged to architect, structure, and submit the RIS(C) application on behalf of the client. Given the scale and complexity of the project — spanning three distinct technology pillars and a total R&D commitment of over S$16 million — our involvement was deep and end-to-end.
RIC supported the client in successfully securing the Enterprise Singapore Research and Innovation Scheme for Companies (RIS(C)) grant — one of the most prestigious and competitive innovation grants in Singapore's enterprise support landscape. The approved grant quantum of S$5.24 million covers R&D manpower costs and specialised equipment, software, and other project expenditure over a four-year qualifying period. RIC was engaged to architect the full grant package for this project - not to review or refine what the client had already prepared, but to design, build, and drive the entire application from the ground up. Given the scale of the engagement, spanning three distinct R&D pillars, a multi-year commitment, and a total project value exceeding S$16 million, this required RIC to function simultaneously as programme designer, financial modeller, technology narrative author, KPI negotiator, and project manager across a large and complex organisation.
Scope of RIC’s Consulting and Advisory Services:
RIC was engaged to architect, structure, and submit the RIS(C) application on behalf of the client. Given the scale and complexity of the project — spanning three distinct technology pillars and a total R&D commitment of over S$16 million — our involvement was deep and end-to-end.
- R&D Programme Design: We worked with the client's technical and leadership teams to frame a coherent, grant-ready R&D programme structured around three innovation pillars: digital command-and-control systems for remote offshore wind farm operations; next-generation vessel design and prototyping optimised for offshore wind installation and servicing; and sustainability and ESG technologies including decarbonisation solutions targeted at reducing the carbon intensity of offshore energy operations.
- Centre of Excellence Strategy and Governance: RIC helped the client articulate the rationale for anchoring the innovation Centre of Excellence in Singapore, including its talent strategy, research collaboration programme with Singapore institutes of higher learning, and its ecosystem commitments to Singapore-based technology companies. This narrative was central to demonstrating the depth of the client's Singapore roots and its commitment to building long-term innovation capability here.
- Technology Narrative Authoring: For certain R&D workstreams, no formal technical documentation existed at the time of application. RIC engaged directly with the client's R&D teams to extract their planned development work through working sessions, and then translated those conversations into structured technology descriptions, component diagrams, and grant-ready technical narratives. This bridged the gap between what the engineers knew and what the government evaluators needed to see on paper.
- Milestone and KPI Structuring: The RIS(C) grant requires the client to commit to over 10 specific deliverables across programme, pillar, and ecosystem dimensions — including headcount creation, IP generation, technology prototype milestones, emissions reduction targets, and co-innovation investments. Prior to offer letter issuance, RIC proactively reviewed the full set of proposed KPIs with the client to pressure-test achievability. The client identified specific KPIs that were not realistic under current plans, and others that were contingent on internal R&D decisions not yet finalised. RIC guided the client in engagements with the grant agency to revise the KPI set, arriving at a balanced scorecard that the agency was satisfied with and the client could genuinely commit to. This pre-emptive negotiation protected the client from being locked into obligations that could have jeopardised grant compliance down the line.
- Financial Cost Modelling: RIC built a detailed cost model covering several qualifying cost categories — salaries for R&D professionals, specialised equipment, software and cloud infrastructure, project-related expenditure including field trials and patent support, and audit fees. The model was designed to maximise qualifying expenditure while remaining fully defensible under the grant agency's audit requirements.
- Stakeholder Management and Submission: RIC coordinated across four internal functions within the client organisation, including two separate R&D teams, HR, the sustainability team, and senior finance leadership, aligning each team's inputs into a single coherent government submission. Each function operated on its own timeline and priorities, requiring sustained follow-through to extract the right information within the application window. RIC's lead consultant functioned as the overall programme manager, tracking outstanding inputs across teams, identifying gaps, and driving the process forward when the client's own internal champion found it difficult to move the relevant teams independently. We successfully managed the end-to-end application - including all supplementary documentation, milestone justifications, and technical annexes - supporting the client in responding to evaluator's queries every step of the way.
Outcomes |
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With the grant award confirmed at S$5.2M and a qualifying period running across 4 years, the project delivers a suite of strategic outcomes for the client and for Singapore's offshore wind and energy ecosystem.
The project will establish a world-class offshore energy innovation centre in Singapore — serving as the client's global hub for R&D and technology development, and anchoring senior decision-making and specialist technical talent in the city-state for the long term.
On workforce, the project funds the creation of multiple new innovation roles — Research Scientists and Engineers, data engineers, remote operations specialists, and naval architects — the majority of whom will be Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, with two existing roles redesigned to carry a stronger R&D mandate.
Across its three technology pillars, the project will develop a remote operations centre in Singapore enabling real-time digital command and control of offshore wind assets across the region; prototype multiple next-generation vessel designs built around the specific demands of offshore wind installation and servicing; and invest in several new decarbonisation technologies, targeting a 15% reduction in carbon intensity per revenue unit by 2029.
The project further targets multiple IP outcomes over its duration, establishing the client as a technology IP holder in the offshore wind space and building the defensible competitive advantage needed to win in an increasingly technology-driven market. Through its commitments to research collaborations with Singapore institutes of higher learning and co-innovation agreements with Singapore-based companies, the project will meaningfully strengthen Singapore's offshore wind technology supply chain.
The S$5.2M grant reduces the client's R&D cash burden, enabling a more aggressive and confident investment in a long-cycle innovation programme that will define its positioning in Asia's offshore wind market for the next decade.
This engagement reflects what RIC means by funding architecture. Winning a grant of this scale and complexity required more than grant knowledge. It required RIC to step into the project as a working partner, extracting technical substance from R&D teams, arriving at a sustainable KPI framework with the evaluating agency, and holding together a multi-stakeholder process inside a large organisation under a live application deadline. The S$5.2M outcome was the result of that depth of involvement, and it is the standard RIC brings to every large-scale innovation mandate.
The project will establish a world-class offshore energy innovation centre in Singapore — serving as the client's global hub for R&D and technology development, and anchoring senior decision-making and specialist technical talent in the city-state for the long term.
On workforce, the project funds the creation of multiple new innovation roles — Research Scientists and Engineers, data engineers, remote operations specialists, and naval architects — the majority of whom will be Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, with two existing roles redesigned to carry a stronger R&D mandate.
Across its three technology pillars, the project will develop a remote operations centre in Singapore enabling real-time digital command and control of offshore wind assets across the region; prototype multiple next-generation vessel designs built around the specific demands of offshore wind installation and servicing; and invest in several new decarbonisation technologies, targeting a 15% reduction in carbon intensity per revenue unit by 2029.
The project further targets multiple IP outcomes over its duration, establishing the client as a technology IP holder in the offshore wind space and building the defensible competitive advantage needed to win in an increasingly technology-driven market. Through its commitments to research collaborations with Singapore institutes of higher learning and co-innovation agreements with Singapore-based companies, the project will meaningfully strengthen Singapore's offshore wind technology supply chain.
The S$5.2M grant reduces the client's R&D cash burden, enabling a more aggressive and confident investment in a long-cycle innovation programme that will define its positioning in Asia's offshore wind market for the next decade.
This engagement reflects what RIC means by funding architecture. Winning a grant of this scale and complexity required more than grant knowledge. It required RIC to step into the project as a working partner, extracting technical substance from R&D teams, arriving at a sustainable KPI framework with the evaluating agency, and holding together a multi-stakeholder process inside a large organisation under a live application deadline. The S$5.2M outcome was the result of that depth of involvement, and it is the standard RIC brings to every large-scale innovation mandate.