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SUCCESS CASE
How a Subsea Engineering Firm Secured S$300K EDG Support for Offshore Solar R&D
RIC helped a Singapore-based subsea engineering firm secure EDG support for a prototype offshore floating solar substation with regional renewable energy potential.
CATEGORY
R&D and Innovation
CLIENT TYPE
Marine engineering / offshore infrastructure
GRANT TYPE
Enterprise Development Grant support
FUNDING SECURED
S$300K+
About the Client and Project
Client Profile
The client is a Singapore-based subsea engineering solutions provider with more than 30 years of experience delivering offshore infrastructure projects across Asia. Its work spans offshore wind, telecommunications, power transmission, marine engineering, and cable infrastructure. With specialised technical teams and marine yard capabilities, the company was already active in complex regional projects and was looking to strengthen its position in offshore renewable energy markets across Asia.
Project Nature
The project involved the research and development of a prototype offshore floating solar substation designed to support large-scale floating photovoltaic systems. The proposed solution combined offshore infrastructure engineering, modular deployment, remote monitoring, predictive analytics, and power transmission know-how. Rather than a routine equipment purchase or standard engineering deployment, the project required the client to develop a technically differentiated platform that could support offshore solar applications and create a new product pathway for regional renewable energy infrastructure projects.
Funding Objective and Challenge
Funding Objective
The funding objective was to support qualifying costs for the client’s R&D project under the Enterprise Development Grant’s Innovation & Productivity pillar. The grant support was intended to help the company develop and validate a prototype of Asia’s first 20MW solar substation for offshore floating photovoltaic systems. The approved grant covered up to 70% of qualifying project costs and provided more than S$300,000 in support.
The Challenge
This was not a simple grant submission. The project sat at the intersection of marine engineering, offshore renewable energy, infrastructure deployment, monitoring technology, and commercialisation strategy. The application needed to show why the proposed solution was technically novel, commercially relevant, and strategically aligned with Singapore’s sustainability and innovation priorities. RIC also had to help translate deep engineering content into a clear funding narrative, support the business case with market alternatives, explain the implementation plan, and frame the budget in a way that matched the project’s R&D nature.
How RIC Supported the Client
RIC supported the client across the full project and grant consultancy process, from early scoping to proposal structuring and grant justification.
RIC’s work included:
• Analysing the engineering innovation behind the offshore floating solar substation.
• Helping define the project scope, technical narrative, and R&D justification.
• Reviewing market alternatives to substantiate the novelty of the client’s solution.
• Structuring the implementation plan, timeline, team roles, and project milestones.
• Preparing detailed cost breakdowns and financial modelling for the R&D budget.
• Framing the project’s expected impact on business growth, local capability development, and sustainability outcomes.
• Supporting the case for workforce capability building and commercialisation potential.
The core value was not just writing the application. RIC helped convert a technically complex offshore energy project into a credible, fundable business case that could be understood by grant evaluators.
Outcome
FUNDING SECURED
S$300K+
The client secured more than S$300,000 in EDG support for the offshore floating solar substation R&D project. The prototype was subsequently developed and deployed, including use in a 5MW floating solar farm project in Singapore. The project also supported local engineering capability building, helped create a new product offering, and strengthened the client’s positioning in offshore renewable energy infrastructure.
What This Means for Similar Companies
For engineering, energy, marine, and deep-tech companies, this case shows why strong projects still need strong funding architecture. A technically impressive idea is not automatically fundable. The grant case must clearly explain the innovation, market gap, commercial pathway, project costs, implementation capability, and broader economic value. Companies pursuing complex R&D projects should not treat grant support as an administrative exercise. The real work is translating technical ambition into a credible project narrative that funders can assess and support.
