CLEAN MARITIME COMPETITION

UK KTN £60 MILLION BOOST FOR ZERO-EMISSION SHIPPING DEMONSTRATION

Please use our A-Z to navigate this site

THE FUNDING RATE IS UP TO 70% DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR BUSINESS. A SMALL TO MEDIUM ENTERPRISE (SME) WILL HAVE TO FIND £300,000 FOR A £1 MILLION POUND PROJECT. THINK CAREFULLY ON WHERE THAT INVESTMENT WILL COME FROM. TYPICALLY, THE ORGANIZERS WILL NEED TO SEE THAT MONEY IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. OR OTHER PROOF OF HOW YOU WILL FUND YOUR 30% OF THE DEAL.

This is a tempting avenue to funding, for projects that may also be eligible for a Jules Verne Hydrogen Trophy. But read the rules carefully. As a JVH2 Trophy is earned via competitive sport, you'll obviously not want to give away any secrets as to why you entry might be faster and more efficient than that of another team.

Bunkering of alternative fuels, is almost certainly of interest to ports. And they in turn will be looking to projects with fuels they might reasonably supply.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with The Department for Transport (DfT) to invest up to £60 million in innovation projects. These will be to develop and deploy real world operational demonstrations of clean maritime solutions.

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 3 is part of a suite of interventions to be launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE aims to transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology.

The aim of this competition is to fund real world demonstrations of clean maritime technologies in an operational setting. Your proposal must, develop, test and deploy novel clean maritime technologies focused on on-vessel technologies or shoreside infrastructure, including at ports and harbours.

Bunkering of renewable fuels is something that the Cleaner Ocean Foundation identified as the Achilles-Heel of international shipping many years ago. The move to Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) as a stop gap, did not really take off. And the goal post have moved in any event, due to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO's) latest targets for 2030, 2040, 2050, and 100% zero emissions by 2100.

That may sound like  along way off, but it is only around the corner, if the shipping industry is to transition. Where shipping involves significant investment over ten to twenty years of depreciation. And, the whole industry is profit driven - as are most businesses. They have to make a profit to re-invest responsibly - and that they do. But for that to happen, investors need to know how the wind blows. What technology is viable? Hence, we imagine, this competition.

European funding is probably moving along the same lines. There is a need to identify practical solutions. Of which, we believe there are many possibilities - but that is the problem. Which is the most practical?

Governments are trying to push technology forward. To show industry; light at the end of the tunnel.

This Round is split into 2 strands:

Strand 1: Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 – Vessel or Infrastructure demonstrations

Strand 2: Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 –Vessel and Infrastructure combined demonstrations

For strand 1, project costs can be £1m-£8m: for strand 2, costs can be £2m-£10m.

ELIGIBILITY

Your project must: have total project costs between £1m and £8m for strand 1, or between £2m and £10m for strand 2 and start by 1 April 2023 - end by 31 March 2025. The project can last for up to 24 months.

You must also:

- carry out all of its project work in the UK

- intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

To lead a project your organisation must:

- be a UK registered business of any size

- collaborate with other UK registered organisations

This competition allows Trust Ports to apply as a business of any size.

There is no limit on how many applications an organisation can submit in this competition, either as a lead or a partner. If you are involved in more than one application, you must clearly state in your application how all projects can be resourced and delivered if successful.

SCOPE

The aim of this competition is to fund real world demonstrations of clean maritime technologies in an operational setting.

Your demonstration project must develop, test and deploy novel clean maritime technologies focused on on-vessel technologies, and/or shoreside or offshore infrastructure (including at ports, harbours and wind farms).

If you are working only on on-vessel technologies, or only on infrastructure, you should apply to strand 1; 

if you are working on both as part of the same project, you should apply to strand 2.

If you are in any doubt about which strand to apply into, you must check by email to support@iuk.ukri.org at least 10 working days before the competition closes.

If you apply into the wrong strand, you will be ineligible and your application will not be assessed. All the time and effort put into an application that is not eligible, will be wasted. And time is money. So, read the small print.

Your demonstration must include the technology or vessel being used in a representative real world operational environment for a period of at least 4 weeks. There is no fixed definition of how projects must undertake their demonstration and use this minimum 4 week period because it will depend on your project, technology and what is required to prove its performance. We strongly encourage projects to utilise this minimum 4 week period fully and to gather as much performance data as possible.

In your application you must clearly state how you plan to undertake the demonstration, including how much time in operational use you currently expect, and why this is appropriate for your project. During the demonstration you must validate the technology or vessel’s operation for the use case or target market and capture data on the performance.

Projects which include a vessel intended to operate at sea must include appropriate demonstrations for a minimum of 4 weeks at sea. Projects may undertake initial tests in categorised waters before progressing to sea, subject to compliance with relevant regulations, but this will not count towards the 4 weeks minimum demonstration period.

Vessel demonstrations should plan to be in a variety of sea states. Vessels must comply with and be certificated in accordance with relevant regulations before proceeding to sea.

Projects which include vessels operating on categorised waters, for example, Inland waterways, that will never operate at sea, can complete their full demonstration within categorised waters.

Vessels must comply with relevant regulations when undertaking voyages and where appropriate, be certificated subject to vessel type. These vessels cannot proceed to sea without relevant seagoing certification.

This rules out many hydrogen specials, so limiting innovation to existing craft formats. Since, certification of new designs is a long winded and extremely costly exercise.

Projects involving a vessel must engage with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) during the project. The MCA may also contact successful projects shortly after winners are notified to discuss the details of your project. Failure to engage with the MCA when requested could result in your project being suspended or funding withdrawn.

This is a cost that should be included in any projections. Red Tape costs a great deal. As does the years of accounts after demonstration, to absorb capital investment. Sixty million pounds sounds like a lot, but such sums: £2 - 8 million could be swallowed up by R&D alone. Thus, perhaps think to make use of existing technology in an innovative way! I.e. convert an existing craft. Even so, hydrogen pressure cylinders and liquid hydrogen projects - are likely to fall foul of (IMO) Regulations.

By way of example, racing sailing yachts cost significant sums per team. It is more a $Billionaires sport.

YOUR PROJECT MUST:

- underpin a full commercial and operational technology deployment after March 2025, by delivering a meaningful operational demonstration in real world conditions

- achieve market potential through a clear strategy for commercialising the technology and the products, demonstrating the potential for significant value to the UK

- deliver emissions reduction by demonstrating a significant greenhouse gas reduction

- bring together a team with the necessary expertise and experience to successfully deliver the project according to its objectives, and include a representative end user such as vessel operators, ports or harbour authorities

Technologies for all sizes and categories of maritime vessel subject to the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 are in scope. Solutions can be suitable for one target size of vessel or multiple. Pleasure and commercial vessels are in scope.

Where your project intends to utilise a vessel, the vessel must be a United Kingdom Ship, as defined in 85(2) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, or you must provide justification for use of a non-United Kingdom Ship in your application.

All ports and harbours are in scope, including infrastructure for freight, passenger, pleasure and commercial vessels. Offshore infrastructure is also in scope, such as Wind Farms.

UKRI strongly encourage projects from around the UK to support boosting jobs and economic growth, including from ports, vessel operators, vessel manufacturers and their supply chain. UK KTN welcome projects from areas with existing clean maritime expertise or co-located in clusters of renewable energy production and usage including hydrogen.

You must clearly demonstrate how you will anchor IP generated by the project in the UK and how it will be exploited for the benefit of the UK supply chain in the future.

KTN encourage projects that have been successful and were funded by the Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition Round 1, to apply for further funding support to continue the development of your project. You are not required to have been successful in a previous round of the Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competitions to apply with an eligible project to Round 3.

If you have been funded for a project in the recent Round 2 of the Clean Maritime Demonstrator Competition, you are not eligible to apply for funding to demonstrate the same project or technology concept in Round 3.

Further funding opportunities to progress Round 2 winners will be made available in 2023.

If your proposal focuses on a demonstration of a domestic green shipping corridor, you must demonstrate a vessel navigating between both ends of the corridor in real-world operational setting. To qualify as a corridor, at least one zero-emission vessel must be transiting the route between two UK ports during the minimum 4 week demonstration period.

If your domestic green shipping corridor project does not require investment in both a vessel and infrastructure at either end of the corridor then you should apply into Strand 1.

SPECIFIC THEMES

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

Prioritised theme:

- domestic green shipping corridors

VESSEL LOW AND ZERO EMISSION TECHNOLOGIES:

- vessel propulsion and auxiliary engines, for example, battery, fuel cell, and internal combustion engines using low or zero carbon alternative fuels such as hydrogen, methanol or ammonia, including hybrids and engines capable of using multiple fuels including zero emission options.

- wind propulsion, including soft-sail, fixed-sail, rotor, kite and turbine technologies, targeting a range of ship types from small vessels to large cargo carriers, both as primary and auxiliary propulsion.

- low carbon energy storage and management

- physical connections to shoreside power or alternative fuels, including fuelling lines

- enabling technologies such as motors, drives, sensor and power electronics

Port and shoreside, including offshore solutions:

- shoreside low and zero carbon fuelling including bunkering of such fuels

- charging infrastructure and management

- low and zero emission shoreside power solutions, such as enabling docked vessels to turn off their conventional power supply for ancillary systems

- physical connections to shoreside power or alternative fuels, including fuelling lines

- shoreside renewable energy generation at the port to supply vessels

- zero emission shoreside power supply for vessels, including grid or renewable energy supply

- low carbon fuel production, such as hydrogen, methanol, ammonia

- zero emission infrastructure, including stationary assets for freight handling and port operations within a port or harbour site.

Innovate UK KTN hosted a briefing event on 30th September, 10am-noon, online. A recording is available to view.

If you want help to find a project partner, contact Matthew Moss, KTM for Maritime, at Innovate UK KTN.

....

POSSIBLY THE WORLD'S FASTEST HYDROGEN YACHT - Is ineligible for this competition, by virtue of being priced realistically, and that being higher than might be awarded where a larger number of smaller projects is preferred. And, organizations like UK KTN and Horizon (European Commission) need to see a trading track record. Unconventional projects from maverick entrepreneurs will not normally be funded. For that you might want to consider forming a racing team for the JVH2.

Applications that do not come from established concerns such as academic institutions or larger corporations, stand little chance of obtaining grant funded backing, institutions being risk adverse. For this reason the Foundation is looking at ways of generating income, other than grant funding. Otherwise, the Foundation could have put themselves forward, as looking for partners.

Please use our A-Z INDEX to navigate this site, or cruise HOME

  UK KTN ZERO-EMISSION MARITIME DEMOSTRATION - FUNDING COMPETITION - REGISTER BY 09/11/2022

This website is Copyright © 2022 Jameson Hunter & Cleaner Ocean Foundation Ltd, equal opportunities companies. This website is carbon friendly, using less energy to load on average per page via simplicity & picture optimization. The same may not apply to third party links. The 'JVH2'© logo and names 'Jules Verne Hydrogen Trophy'™ are trademarks.