GBM Works and the EIC Accelerator: Quieter Offshore Wind Piles

GBM Works, based in Amsterdam, has developed Vibrojet, a way to install the huge steel monopiles that hold offshore wind turbines without hydraulic impact hammers. Water jets loosen and partly fluidise the soil inside and below the pile while a vibratory hammer does the rest, so that the pile sinks "silent and gentle to target depth under its own weight". The EIC project said current hammering struggles with ever larger turbines and stricter noise rules, according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,455,635 towards a €3.51 million project, SIMPLER, from May 2023 to December 2025. The report for the first 16 months, the only one on CORDIS, describes a basic design with jetting equipment kept inside the pile and retrieved afterwards, a method to identify suitable wind farm sites, and studies on pumps and clay, with qualification by the certifier DNV planned. In September 2025 GBM Works closed a €6.2 million seed round with Invest-NL, the EIC Fund and Rotterdamse Havendraken. In 2026 Vibrojet installed three monopiles at the Hollandse Kust West wind farm, and in August GBM Works and CAPE Holland signed a memorandum of understanding to sell it commercially from 2027.

Where GBM Works Stands Now

Under the planned partnership, GBM Works handles Vibrojet development, feasibility studies and marketing, while CAPE Holland, which owns vibratory hammers and lifting equipment, handles integration and offshore execution. The two companies plan to formalise it through licence and long-term cooperation agreements; commercial availability from 2027 depends on those being concluded. GBM Works' website says its method is "more than three times faster" and needs no complex noise mitigation, and offers a FLEX variant with hoses instead of fixed pipes.

The Technology: Water Jets and Vibration

Instead of hammering a pile into the seabed, Vibrojet reduces the friction around it: jets inside the hollow pile fluidise the soil and a vibratory hammer overcomes the remaining resistance. The report says a sensor network with AI-based control manages the process and that equipment is recovered after installation. GBM Works also argues that avoiding hammer blows could allow piles to be built with less steel.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project aimed to take Vibrojet to detailed design, qualify it with DNV and prepare its market launch. By the end of the grant period the technology had passed an offshore test and was used on three real foundations shortly after. Whether DNV qualification was obtained is not public, and CORDIS shows no report after August 2024. CORDIS still lists the project as signed.

1. Detailed designDeliveredUsed offshore.
2. Offshore demonstrationDeliveredSIMPLE III; three monopiles.
3. DNV qualificationNot reportedNo final report.
4. Market launchPlannedFrom 2027 with CAPE.

The Money

GBM Works' first commercial use was financed in part by the seed round, whose second close brought in Invest-NL. The EIC Fund's share was not disclosed. GBM Works has not published revenue or accounts.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The report cites EU targets of 60 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050, and notes that nature laws require protecting marine life from noise. A quieter, faster way to install foundations goes to the heart of both. The EIC backed it with grant and equity and it has reached a real wind farm.

The Verdict

GBM Works and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.