Launchpad: marine and maritime in the Great South West

To lead a project in the MFA strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• be active or growing your work activities in the marine and maritime innovation cluster in the Great South West

A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

To lead a project in the CR&D strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with other UK registered organisations
• be active or growing your work activities in the marine and maritime innovation cluster in the Great South West

Any UK registered organisation can collaborate in the CR&D strand, on any number of applications.

A business can lead on only one CR&D strand application for this competition, but can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications.

If you apply to the CR&D strand of this competition, as well as this MFA strand, each project must be clearly distinctive and separate. We will monitor closely for this separation if you are awarded funding in both competition strands.

For the MFA strand (single applicants), your project must:

• have a total grant funding request of between £25,000 and £100,000
• last between 6 and 12 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 30 April 2025

You will be made ineligible if you exceed the Minimal Financial Assistance limit. You must submit a complete declaration as part of your application.

For the CR&D strand, your project must:

• be collaborative
• have a total grant funding request of between £150,000 and £1 million
• last between 6 and 18 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 30 March 2026

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the marine and maritime innovation cluster in the Great South West, defined as Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

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

• marine autonomy
• clean maritime
• digital ocean technologies

Your project must lead to increased investment into research and innovation. It must contribute to growing business activities and economic impact in the cluster.

Your proposal must explain how your team and project will contribute to equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in the cluster.

In support of the Government’s Levelling Up goals, we reserve the right to prioritise projects that:

• are shorter in duration
• significantly advance innovation in marine and maritime
• are led by businesses already based in the innovation cluster
• have greater levels of activity outside the Greater South East

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

• disruptive technology to replace traditional ship-based alternatives for equipment inspection and other marine monitoring operations and enhance safety of the seas
• achieving net zero through transition 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
• leading sensor and communications technology advancement and their connectedness and interoperability, to inform offshore operation by enhancing our understanding of the ocean and any impact upon it

We are not funding projects that:

• do not contribute to innovation activity in the marine and maritime cluster in the Great South West
• require approval from the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for testing in an operational marine environment within the duration of the project
• involve primary production in fishery and aquaculture
• involve primary production in agriculture
• have activities relating to the purchase of road freight transport

(Other exclusions may apply: see the links below for a complete list.)

Innovate UK held an online briefing on Monday 30 October: click here to watch the recording.

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

In considering the eligibility of your proposal you are encouraged to review:

• The Great South West’s ‘blue economy’ priorities
• The Ocean Futures prospectus
• Department for Transport’s Maritime 2050: navigating the future

Further information about this marine and maritime innovation cluster was provided in an online briefing event on 30 October: click here to watch the recording.