- Regulators’ Pioneer Fund provides £107k for two data schemes
- Data viewer and AI chatbot could help exploit the potential of the North Sea
- Digital Strategy Group dedicated to making information accessible
The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund has awarded the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) £107,000 for a project intended to make North Sea data easier to access.
The funding will be split between two workstreams, one creating an enhanced Geospatial Data Viewer which is intended to help users by bringing together datasets from multiple government agencies in one place.
The second will create an AI chatbot to assist users in navigating NSTA’s Open Data and National Data Repository portals, with potential future expansion to other platforms. The chatbot would provide reliable responses to research queries.
It is hoped that the workstreams, which will be assessed in April 2026, will make information more accessible to users who will be able to reach better decisions about a range of potential North Sea projects.
Nic Granger, NSTA Chief Information and Financial Officer and Chair of the Offshore Energy Digital Strategy Group, said:
'Good decision-making requires easy access to reliable information. The NSTA and our partners in the DSG each have huge resources of high-quality data, and we are dedicated to sharing it as widely as possible.
'The North Sea is a resource which can contribute to a strong economy, energy security, the drive to reach net zero and much more, and achieving those goals is supported by these projects.'
Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said:
'Every day across the country new products are being invented that have the potential to transform lives and revolutionise public services.
'But all too often, we are held back from taking?advantage of them by red tape that simply hasn’t kept pace with the scientific and technological advances.
'That’s why we’re backing our regulators to work together with industry, to make the rules fit for purpose, and unlock breakthroughs that will deliver national renewal by driving our economy forwards faster, easier, and safely.'
The DSG was set up following the publication of the Digitalising Offshore Energy Systems report which called on the oil and gas and renewables sectors to work together to use the North Sea to its full capacity and reduce emissions to meet net zero targets.
It has a dedicated LinkedIn page Digital Strategy Group LinkedIn to allow members and interested parties to share information.
Background
The UK Government’s Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) funds regulators and local authorities to trial new and innovative regulatory approaches enabling businesses to bring innovative products to the market quicker.
In September 2025, through the Fourth Round of the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, the RIO has awarded the North Sea Transition Authority a grant of £107,000 via the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF) to deliver the Enhanced, AI-supported offshore energy data discovery and visualisation project.
The project will look to deliver an enhanced geospatial viewer that would provide data across multiple different government organisations organised thematically. As well as an AI chatbot pilot that would provide answers to data discovery questions across two of the NSTA’s data portals (Open Data site and NDR).
For further information please contact:
Tel: 07785 655620
Email: pressoffice@nstauthority.co.uk
Source: NSTA
