Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Deployment Trials
Innovate UK · United Kingdom
A competition supporting UK organisations to develop and demonstrate innovative clean maritime technologies through real-world deployment trials, helping accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK maritime sector.
Summary
Deadline
15 Jul 2026
Updated
16 Oct 2026
A competition supporting UK organisations to develop and demonstrate innovative clean maritime technologies through real-world deployment trials, helping accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK maritime sector.
Eligibility
Applicant types
See eligibility requirements
Industries
Maritime, shipping, transport, clean energy, engineering, advanced manufacturing, digital technology and related maritime technology sectors.
Match funding
Not specified
Eligible applicants
UK-registered organisations. The competition is open to collaborations only. To lead a collaborative project, the lead organisation must be a UK-registered business and collaborate with other UK-registered organisations.
Funding and scope
Benefit amount
£3 million to £15 million per project.
Total fund available
Up to £121,000,000 across the three strands of Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7.
Funding intensity
£3 million to £15 million per deployment trial project. Funding rates are subject to Innovate UK eligibility and state aid/subsidy control rules applicable to the participating organisations and project activities.
Payment type
Not specified
Eligible scope
Real-world deployment trials of innovative clean maritime technologies, including clean vessel technologies, alternative fuels, electrification, energy efficiency, shore-side infrastructure, smart shipping, digital and autonomous maritime technologies.
Eligible expenses
- Costs associated with the development, deployment, testing, validation and real-world demonstration of eligible clean maritime technologies, in accordance with Innovate UK funding rules.
Ineligible costs
Not specified
Application and risks
Application platform
Innovation Funding Service (IFS)
Competitiveness
Not scored
Decision timeline
Applications are assessed by independent experts and considered through Innovate UK's assessment and moderation process. Funding decisions are made competitively based on assessment outcomes and the available competition budget.
Assessment process
Applications are assessed by independent experts and considered through Innovate UK's assessment and moderation process. Funding decisions are made competitively based on assessment outcomes and the available competition budget.
Application sections
Not specified
Application components
- Collaborative project application containing project details, project proposal, costs and finances, project plan, team information, exploitation and impact information, and other supporting information required through the Innovation Funding Service.
Required documents
Not specified
Appendices
Not specified
Assessment criteria
- Applications are assessed against the competition requirements, including the strength and innovation of the proposed technology, technical and commercial feasibility, deployment potential, project team capability, market opportunity, environmental impact, project benefits and value for money.
Timeline and partners
Opening date
11 Mar 2026
Project duration
Deployment trial projects can run for up to approximately 2 years and 9 months according to the competition information.
Project start
Not specified
Project end
Not specified
Co-funders
- Department for Transport (DfT)
Collaboration rules
Not specified
Consortium requirements
Not specified
Additional guidance
Document research last revised 2026-08-24.
Next Opening Date
No next opening date has been announced for this specific competition.
International Participation
The opportunity is focused on UK-registered organisations and UK project activity. Any funded organisation must carry out its project work in the UK and intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.
Priority Themes
Fishing vessels and inland waterways vessels; projects combining vessel or infrastructure technologies with smart shipping technologies; zero and near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuel systems such as ammonia or hydrogen; and retrofitting clean maritime technologies to existing vessels.
Eligible Vessel Technology Areas
Vessel propulsion and auxiliary engines; batteries and fuel cells; low, zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels; wind propulsion; energy storage and management; shore power and alternative fuel bunkering connections; motors, drives, sensors and power electronics; air pollution and contaminant reduction; methane and nitrous oxide emissions reduction; type approval of novel on-vessel equipment; onboard carbon capture and storage; and energy efficiency technologies.
Eligible Infrastructure Technology Areas
Shore-side storage and bunkering of low, zero or near-zero greenhouse gas emission fuels; charging infrastructure for electric vessels; novel shore power solutions; shore-side renewable energy generation; low or zero-emission fuel production at ports; zero-emission infrastructure for freight handling and port operations; offshore infrastructure adaptations; and reception and storage of carbon captured onboard vessels.
Eligible Smart Shipping Areas
Maritime maintenance and inspection; port operations; vessel design optimisation; smart shipping safety and skills; vessel operations optimisation; route planning and scheduling; interaction with other transport modes; and assurance systems for the safety and operational competence of smart shipping systems.
Ineligible Projects / Costs
Projects that do not address the competition's clean maritime objectives, do not involve an appropriate deployment or demonstration element, or fall outside the specified competition scope.
Key Organisational Requirements
Projects must be collaborative. The lead organisation must be a UK-registered business and collaborate with other UK-registered organisations. Funded organisations must undertake project work in the UK and intend to exploit project results from or in the UK.
Objectives
To accelerate the development, demonstration and deployment of innovative clean maritime technologies and support the decarbonisation and commercialisation of solutions for the UK maritime sector.
Environmental Requirements
Projects must demonstrate clear relevance to clean maritime objectives and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and/or other environmental impacts associated with maritime activities.
EDI Requirements
Applicants should consider equality, diversity and inclusion within project delivery and the wider impacts of their proposed project.
Project Location Requirement
Funded organisations must carry out their project work in the UK and intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.
Important Notes
This competition is collaboration-only. Deployment trial projects are the largest of the three strands, with funding of £3 million to £15 million per project. The wider Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7 has up to £121 million available across feasibility studies, pre-deployment trials and deployment trials. (UK Research and Innovation)
Status Note
Closed. The application window opened on 11 March 2026 and closed on 15 July 2026 at 11:00 AM UK time. No future opening date is currently stated on the official opportunity page. (UK Research and Innovation)
Application deadline in source document
15 July 2026, 11:00 AM UK time
Official source
Quick facts
- Status
- Closed
- Deadline
- 15 Jul 2026
- Funding amount
- £3 million to £15 million per project.
- Funding band
- Not specified
- Funding type
- Grant
- Payment type
- Not specified
- Audience
- See eligibility requirements
- Industry
- Maritime, shipping, transport, clean energy, engineering, advanced manufacturing, digital technology and related maritime technology sectors.
- Last updated
- 16 Oct 2026
- Published
- Not specified