| Code | NE6212 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Teaching Mode | Distance Learning, Part-Time |
| Qualifications | Cert of Attendance |
| NFQ Level | Level 9 |
| Fees | €900 (funding available) See Fees and Costs for full details. |
| Closing Date | Round One: 30 November 2026 Round Two: 8 January 2026 |
| Course Delivery Method | Online |
| Venue | Online |
| Credits | 5 |
| Start Date | 22 Jan 2027 |
Outline
Ireland's offshore wind pipeline is moving out of planning and towards delivery. The projects that get built will be the ones whose development teams can turn a consented site into an investable proposition — one that stands up to technical due diligence, satisfies an investment board, and reaches Final Investment Decision on a credible cost base.
This 12-week micro-credential takes you through the full offshore wind development lifecycle: from site selection, resource assessment and survey planning, through financing and investment readiness, governance and stakeholder engagement, risk management, and finally the handover into construction. Throughout, the emphasis is on how each decision made during development either strengthens or undermines the bankability of the project.
The course is jointly designed and delivered by two complementary teams. University College Cork brings research-led expertise in wind resource assessment, seabed characterisation, marine spatial planning, stakeholder engagement and techno-economic modelling. Kongstein AS is an international offshore wind consultancy that has completed around 180 assignments across roughly 50 offshore wind projects in Europe, the United States and Asia-Pacific, in roles spanning early planning, bid preparation, package management and construction. Their lecturers bring first-hand experience of business case development, procurement, risk registers and the internal processes developers actually follow to reach FID.
Lectures are delivered live online and recorded, so the course can be completed either synchronously or asynchronously. It is designed for people already working full-time.
Course Content
Lectures will cover a range of topics including:
- Project Scoping and Feasibility – Introduction to offshore wind development; wind resource assessment; seabed characterisation and site constraints; technical surveys and interfaces; early feasibility and cost modelling; sustainability in offshore wind development.
- Financing and Investment Readiness – Offshore wind policy and financing mechanisms; financing strategies and the path to FID including project finance structures, stage gates, due diligence and financial modelling.
- Project Governance and Stakeholder Management – project governance and leadership structures; Irish regulatory landscape; Stakeholder mapping, engagement and communication.
- Risk Management in Offshore Wind Development – identification, qualitative and quantitative assessment, risk registers, mitigation and contingency.
- Transition from Development to Construction – construction readiness and stage gate deliverables, organisational change at FID, port, logistics and supply chain implications, knowledge transfer to the construction team.
Practicalities
Course Queries:
For any further Academic Queries and Course Content Queries not listed in the FAQ sheet above, please contact the Programme Coordinator Dr Frances Judge; frances.judge@ucc.ie
For Online Application Support please click here.
Important Notice: Course Registration Deadlines
Once the course has reached full capacity we will no longer be accepting applications.
We strongly recommend early application to secure your place on the course.
Schedule Information:
- This course takes place on Friday afternoons from 12pm-2pm from January 22nd to April 23rd (includes a 2-week Easter recess).
- Classes will take place online on MS Teams
- Lectures will be delivered live online, and recorded. Recordings will be made available for viewing on Canvas, the Learning Platform used at UCC.
Who teaches this course?
Staff from the School of Engineering and Architecture and Kongstein AS.
Why Choose
It is built around what gets projects funded. The course is organised around bankability, derisking and FID readiness - the questions an investment board actually asks. You will work through how business cases are built, where DEVEX is spent and why, what institutional investors and lenders look for, and how technical and commercial derisking work together.
You learn from both sides of the table. Academic depth is paired with operational experience from consultants who have sat inside developer teams through bid preparation, tendering and FID. Lectures are integrated rather than bolted together, so technical content and commercial consequence are taught alongside each other.
It is grounded in the Irish context, benchmarked internationally. Irish DMAPs, the maritime consenting process, EirGrid and grid connection, community benefit funding and Irish port infrastructure sit alongside case studies and lessons learned from Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and beyond.
The assessment is work you can use. Rather than an exam, you will build a project plan for a real Irish coastal site, taking it from feasibility assessment through to Final Investment Decision, complete with survey timelines, consenting and engagement plans, and a risk register with mitigation and contingency measures.
It fits around a full-time job. All lectures are recorded, and assessment tasks are spread across the semester with feedback available before final submission.
Who Should Apply?
This course is aimed at experienced professionals who are responsible for moving offshore wind projects from consent towards investment and execution, and at those who support them.
Developers and project teams — project managers, package managers, development managers and commercial leads who need to derisk projects, balance DEVEX spend, and prepare robust business cases for board and shareholder approval.
Supply chain companies and consultancies — those who need to understand what developers require, how DEVEX progresses through the development phase, and how to position for procurement and commercial readiness ahead of upcoming projects.
Government departments, agencies and local authority teams — those whose policy, consenting and market design decisions have commercial consequences, and who need to understand how projects are derisked, how business cases are built, and what it takes to get a project through an investment board.
Tier 1 contractors and engineering consultancies — professionals delivering major packages who want a clearer view of the development decisions that shape the projects they will later build.
Graduates and career changers with a relevant technical or commercial background who are seeking to enter the offshore wind sector at a senior level.
How this course differs from Introduction to Project Management for Offshore Projects: this micro-credential is the next step up. Where the introductory module builds foundational project management skills, Offshore Wind Development – Developing Bankable Offshore Wind Projects is aimed at senior project leads who need to work at a high level across specifications, requirements and multiple stakeholder groups, and who are accountable for investment-grade decisions.
Requirements
Academic requirement: A Level 8 honours degree, together with experience in engineering, commercial management or project management in infrastructure projects or the maritime industry.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Applicants who do not hold a Level 8 degree but who have substantial relevant professional experience may be considered through UCC's Recognition of Prior Learning process.
Language of instruction: English.
Fees and Costs
Programme Fee:
The full programme fee is €900. If you are not eligible for the below funding the course fee is €900.
Skillnet Funding
Skillnet is dedicated to fostering skills and expertise in the field of green technology, is partnering with UCC on the Introduction to MetOcean for Offshore Wind micro-credential to fund part of the course fee for eligible participants.
Skillnet subsidise the programme fee by €400. Skillnet funded applicants pay: €500
FUNDING ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
To be eligible for Skillnet funding, applicants must:
- Be based in the Republic of Ireland
- Be self-employed, or employed within a company that:
- Is a private enterprise based in the Republic of Ireland
- Is not a public sector body or a publicly funded organisation (e.g. community-based not-for-profits or charities)
Please note:
- Commercial semi-state companies are eligible, provided that the remaining programme fee is not funded from the public purse
- Sole traders are considered eligible as companies
For any queries regarding funding, please contact training@skillnetoffshorewindacademy.ie, including the module you wish to apply for.
How To Apply
- All applications for this programme are via Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy.
- Subsidised applicants pay €500 on application, those not eligible for the fee subsidy will pay €900 on application.
- Once you have successfully applied for this programme through Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, you will be provided with a link to register for the programme via UCC Apply.
Contact Details
Micro-credentials
Micrea-dintiúir
Contact us
The Laurels, University College Cork, Western Road, Cork, T12 EH31,