Launchpad: Marine and Maritime in the Great South West – R1 MFA (UK)

This Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) funding is from Innovate UK. The projects will contribute to the Great South West’s ambitions for net zero targets and support for key regional strategic marine and maritime markets.

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.

Specific Themes

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 the understanding of the ocean and any impact upon it

Project Size

• Your project’s grant funding request must be between £25,000 and £100,000.

Projects they will not fund

They 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
• are within scope of the Cluster management strand of this Launchpad competition
• request grant funding of less than £25,000 or more than £100,000

Who can apply?

• Your project must:
  • 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
• Projects must always start on the first of the month and this must be stated within your application. Your project start date will be reflected in your grant offer letter if you are successful.
• To lead a project 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
  • have a demonstrable ambition for business growth
• Subcontractors are allowed in this competition. Their contribution must add to the innovation led growth of the cluster.
• Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.
• They expect all subcontractor costs to be justified and appropriate to the total eligible project costs.
• A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

For more information, visit Innovate UK.