Maritime Accelerator 2024
A dynamic initiative powered by Connected Places Catapult, for SMEs with pioneering solutions applicable to the maritime industry and beyond.
Connected Places Catapult are directly collaborating with a consortium of programme partners, comprising DP World, Houlder, Maersk, National Shipbuilding Office, Portsmouth International Port, Port of Tyne, the Royal Navy, Serco, and the University of Plymouth.
Our partners actively contribute to challenge setting, SME selection, and provide invaluable access to internal expertise and testing facilities, ensuring that every SME in our programme receives support tailored to their unique needs.
Our exclusive 5-month programme is seeking a cohort of up to 8 SMEs operating at TRL 5-8. Through modules and 1-on-1 support, encompassing market targeting, value proposition refinement, strategic pricing, financial forecasting, and compelling communication strategies, we are committed to empowering SMEs to elevate their investment readiness, fine-tune business models, and master the art of customer profiling and enterprise selling.
The Maritime Accelerator isn’t just a programme; it is a transformative journey, paving the way for SMEs to thrive, innovate, and leave a lasting mark on the maritime landscape.
Successful applicants will be able to access between £10K-£20K of programme funding to deliver a trial of their solution with one of the programme partners.
To be eligible:
- you must be a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
- you must be UK-registered.
- you must have a solution which is technical readiness level (TRL) 5 – 8. This means that the solution has, at least, been tested or demonstrated in its intended environment and, at most, has been deployed as a first-of-a-kind commercial system.
- your solution must address one or more of the identified challenges below
- you already operate in the maritime sector, or you are looking to bring your solution into maritime space from another sector.
- you must be willing to travel on occasion for face-to-face meetings (but most of the programme will be conducted virtually).
Accelerator challenges
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How might we create or improve power and propulsion systems for ports and vessels?
We are looking for innovative solutions that improve:
- Storage and distribution systems (including supply chain considerations) for electrification and future fuels (such as biofuels and hydrogen derivatives)
- Propulsion systems for a wide range of vessels and port operations
- Understanding of port assets and vessel retrofitting techniques and design
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How can we efficiently and accurately verify as-built assets to their approved designs?
How can we automate and streamline the management, review, and approval of documentation during handover?
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How might we deploy innovative solutions that increase safety and security using novel training methods and technologies?
We are looking for innovative solutions that can:
- Increase safety of equipment and personnel interactions
- Improve understanding of safety metrics and trends
- Enhance incident detection and risk assessment at ports
- Support upskilling and training for port specific safety and staff inductions
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How might we enhance port resource management and operations?
We are looking for innovative solutions that improve:
- Environmental monitoring including, but not limited to, asset health and optimisation of energy usage
- Space, asset and stock management through sensor data intelligence
- Optimisation of internal labour and third-party contractors
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On Wednesday 5 June (2-3.30pm), Connected Places Catapult hosted Application Support Webinar to give applicants the opportunity to find out more about the programme offering, challenges, the application process, scoring criteria and the assessment process. The recording can be seen at the link below.