Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator 2024

The competition is open to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) only.

At the point of application:

• You must be an SME
• You must have registered a UK company address
• You must have operations in the UK
• You must be willing to test in a real-world environment
• You must be able to address at least one of the accelerator challenge statements
• You must have an innovative solution at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 +

For details of the challenges and possible solution technologies, see below.

• Large reductions in machinery fuel consumption, or technologies that support immediate adoption of alternative power sources.
• Flexible Material Handling Equipment/plant that can be used with multiple types of difficult to handle goods – especially construction freight.
• Improvements to depot movement and rail freight loading vehicles’ speed and efficiency.
• Improvements to cranes, straddle carriers, and reach stackers’ speed, accuracy, and consistency of output.
• Reduction or elimination of accidents and damages through new technologies or automation.

• Containment solutions that significantly improve loading and unloading times.
• Equipment that supports optimal use of loading capacity, and/or more efficient brokerage of capacity.
• Containers with quicker, safer access points for use on rail and other modes.
• Containers or adaptations especially suited for construction freight.
• Containers which are suitable for road and rail that improve capacity of other solutions such as pallets and tote boxes.
• Containment Identification recording and tracking solutions, especially systems/arrays that are extremely accurate and reliable within outdoor depot spaces.
• Spatial monitoring and movement or storage optimisation hardware.
• Safety and monitoring systems that prevent fire, hazards, and damage.

• Improved short-term temporary depot innovations for small and large projects, including loading/ unloading technologies that are less capital intensive than permanent facilities, but more efficient and effective than current short-term yellow machinery approaches.
• Innovations that can support big peaks and troughs in depot demand.
• Responding to vehicles in waiting by creating on-demand depots or flexible expansions to depots.
• Expanding capacity via increased depot possibilities on existing routes, including road-rail interchanges on spurs and sidings.
• Adaptations that support noiseless terminal operations, or significant reductions in dust.

• New vehicle types that can rely on existing infrastructure.
• Expanding freight carrying abilities to existing e-mobility and micro-mobility vehicles.
• Improvements to existing freight carrying e-mobility and micro-mobility vehicles.
• New light-touch interchanges that unlock the potential of micro-mobility to connect to existing major modes without extensive machinery.
• New freight vehicles or adaptations that are suitable for urban and rural areas.
• Better food and drink courier vehicles, and new, sustainable, and electric modes.

• Funding: Access up to £150k in grant funding + 30% of total project costs in in-kind match funds from SMEs
• Trial Support: This could include, but is not limited to trial design training, deployment support, trial monitoring and evaluation support.
• Investment Support: One-to-one sessions with an experienced investment coach.
• Marketing Support: One-to-one sessions with an experienced marketing coach.
• Demonstration Day: An opportunity to showcase the success of your trials and meet investors, industry leaders, Government and academia at the end of the programme.
• Business Development:
  Business development opportunities and introductions to potential customers.
• Membership of the Freight Innovation Cluster

The Connected Places Catapult will hold an application support webinar on Wednesday 1 November, 10am-11am: click here to register for a place.

If you would like help to find an industry partner or project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Transport team.