WAVEC/OFFSHORE RENEWABLES - CENTRO DE ENERGIA OFFSHORE ASSOCIACAO

Their core work

WavEC is Portugal's dedicated offshore renewable energy research centre, specializing in wave energy, offshore wind, and ocean energy technologies. They provide technical expertise in device design, power take-off systems, mooring solutions, and techno-economic analysis (LCOE) for marine energy converters. WavEC also operates as a testing and validation partner, contributing to infrastructure networks that give developers access to marine test facilities across Europe. More recently, they have expanded into digital ocean services including marine data platforms, digital twins, and immersive visualisation tools for the blue economy.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), WavEC focused squarely on hardware-level ocean energy challenges: wave energy device components, offshore wind foundations, power take-off reliability, and cost reduction through better engineering. From 2019 onward, a clear shift emerges toward systemic and digital topics — open-source design tools (DTOceanPlus), floating wind platforms (PivotBuoy, FLOAWER), combined offshore energy sources (EU-SCORES), and digital ocean frameworks (ILIAD). They have moved from solving single-device engineering problems to addressing system-level integration and digitalization of the offshore energy sector.

WavEC is transitioning from a wave-energy-focused test partner toward a broader offshore renewables integration hub, with growing digital ocean and multi-source energy capabilities — expect them to seek projects combining wind, wave, and digital twin technologies.

How they like to work

WavEC operates predominantly as a specialist partner (15 of 17 projects), contributing technical know-how rather than leading large consortia. They have coordinated twice — WETFEET in wave energy and TWIND in capacity building — both relatively modest budgets, suggesting they prefer the technical contributor role. With 202 unique partners across 27 countries, they maintain an exceptionally broad European network for an organization of their size, making them a well-connected node that brings access to diverse marine energy actors.

WavEC has collaborated with 202 unique partners across 27 countries, placing them at the centre of Europe's ocean energy research community. Their network spans from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, with strong links to Atlantic-coast countries active in marine renewables (Ireland, UK, France, Spain, Norway).

What sets them apart

WavEC is one of very few European centres that combines deep expertise in both wave energy and offshore wind under one roof, giving them a rare ability to work on hybrid offshore renewable systems. Based in Portugal — a country with exceptional Atlantic wave and wind resources — they bring real-world testing conditions that Northern European partners cannot replicate. Their dual capability in hardware engineering (PTO systems, foundations, mooring) and techno-economic assessment (LCOE modelling) makes them a one-stop technical partner for any offshore energy project needing both R&D and viability analysis.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EU-SCORES
  Their largest single project (EUR 1.43M) focusing on complementary offshore renewable sources — signals their move toward multi-technology integration at scale.
• WETFEET
  Their first coordinator role (EUR 723K), leading R&D on breakthrough wave energy concepts including dielectric membrane technology and structural survivability.
• ILIAD
  Represents a strategic pivot into digital ocean services — digital twins, marine data platforms, and immersive visualisation — diversifying well beyond traditional energy hardware.