** The second round of funding for the Marine and Maritime in the Great South West Launchpad opens on 2nd September 2024 **
Marine and Maritime in the Great South West Launchpad
Innovate UK has opened a pioneering funding programme in the South West, to accelerate innovation and growth in the marine and maritime field.
Under the Launchpad programme, businesses and researchers can bid for Innovate UK grants for business-led projects that build on the region’s strengths.
The funding will support projects across the two Launchpad competition strands that target the innovation cluster in the Great South West.
The projects will contribute to the Great South West’s ambitions for net zero targets and support for key regional strategic marine and maritime markets.
The businesses will use the funding to grow their innovation activities in the cluster, both during and after the project.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with Cornwall Council, Plymouth City Council and Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership to invest up to £3 million in this round of the Launchpad in innovation projects alongside a range of other regional partners including the Ocean Futures partnership, an international thematic cluster that represents the marine hotbed of innovation for the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport.
Projects can focus on one or more of the following theme areas:
- Monitoring and Autonomy
Developing or using disruptive technologies to replace traditional ship-based alternatives for equipment inspection and other marine monitoring operations and enhance safety of the seas, such as in the offshore renewable energy industry.
- Clean Maritime
Transitioning to alternative fuel powered vessels using energy from low or zero emission sources or highly efficient batteries, also integrating ports into a decarbonised energy network and supplying the fuels of the future.
- Digital Ocean Technology
Advancing sensor and communication technology and their connectedness and interoperability, to enhance our understanding of the ocean and the impacts from offshore operations, including in aquaculture and the emerging ocean economy.
This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other themes.
There are two types of competitions open to applications:
Minimal Financial Assistance:
Launchpad: marine and maritime in the Great South West – R2 MFA
Collaborative Research and Development:
Launchpad: marine and maritime in the Great South West – R2 CR&D
The second round of the Launchpad opens 6 September 2024 and closes on 16th October 2024.
Find out more about the competition and how to apply: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/launchpads/
Maritime UK South West is the cluster management organisation for the programme and are hosting a briefing session on Thursday 29th August from 2-4pm.
The briefing session will provide an opportunity for companies to present their ideas and gain support, partnering advice and signposting guidance from the MUKSW network in addition to details of the competition from IUK.
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