** Please note this round of funding has now closed. Please register your details via the form below to be kept up to date with future opportunities. **
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 ranging from £25k to £1 million for business-led projects that build on the region’s strengths.
The funding will support projects with businesses that are active, or growing their activities, in the marine and maritime innovation cluster in the Great South West – covering Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
The Marine and Maritime Launchpad is managed in conjunction with the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly LEP, Heart of the South West LEP and Dorset LEP, along with 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 bidding for funding in Round 1 of the Launchpad can focus on subjects including:
- Marine autonomy – new technologies for monitoring marine operations, inspecting equipment and enhancing safety at sea.
- Clean maritime – the transition to powering vessels with low- or zero-emission sources; integrating ports into a decarbonised energy network; and supplying the fuels of the future.
- Digital ocean technologies – advancing sensor and communications technology and their connectedness and interoperability, to enhance understanding of the ocean and inform offshore operations.
There are two types of competitions open to applications:
Minimal Financial Assistance – £25 to 100k
Competition Overview – Minimal Financial Assistance R1 MFA
Collaborative Research and Development – £150k to 1M
Competition Overview – Collaborative Research and Development R1 CR&D
The competitions opens on 23 October 2023 and closes on 6 December 2023.
Find out more about the competition and how to apply: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/programme/launchpads/