Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Deployment trials
This competition funds real-world deployment trials of innovative clean maritime technologies that demonstrate significant well-to-wake emission reductions. Projects must include a representative end-user, be UK-based, and reach a point of being investment and construction ready by December 2029.
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Competition Scope & Overview
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest up to £121 million from the Department for Transport in this competition. This is subject to a sufficient number of high quality applications being received. This funding will be for projects to carry out deployment trials, pre-deployment trials and innovative feasibility studies, each of which forms a separate strand of this competition.
The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 7 is part of a suite of interventions launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme.
The UK SHORE programme aims to:
transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology accelerate the fuels and technologies required to decarbonise the sector to meet net zero
Your proposal must focus on clean maritime technology.
This competition is split into three strands:
Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Deployment trials (this strand) Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Pre-deployment trials Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Feasibility studies
It is your responsibility to ensure you submit your application to the correct strand for your project. You will not be able to transfer your application and it will not be sent for assessment if it is out of scope.
The aim of the Deployment trials strand is to fund real world demonstrations of innovative clean maritime technologies in an operational setting. Your proposal must develop, test and deploy innovative clean maritime technologies for on-vessel or maritime infrastructure use, or both.
The aim of the Pre-deployment trials strand is to fund pre-deployment testing of innovative clean maritime technologies. Your proposal must design, develop and test, but not deploy innovative clean maritime technologies for on-vessel or maritime infrastructure use, or both.
The aim of the Feasibility strand is to fund feasibility studies of innovative clean maritime technologies and skills. Your project must undertake a primarily desk based technical and economic feasibility study. Your study must be associated with the development and future real world demonstration of innovative technologies for on-vessel use, maritime infrastructure use, skills or a combination of each.
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition has a funding limit, so we may not be able to fund all the proposed projects. It may be the case that your project scores highly but we are still unable to fund it.
We consider a range of factors when determining whether to provide funding to applicants. This includes an assessment of prior conduct, such as any outstanding payments owed to Innovate UK or UKRI. Such factors may influence the funding decision, potentially resulting in a refusal of funding or an award subject to additional scrutiny.
We also reserve the right to adjust funding allocations for any of our competitions. This may be in response to changes in policy, portfolio funding considerations or broader government funding decisions.
This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated in this Innovate UK competition brief. We cannot guarantee other government or third party sites will always show the correct competition information.
Official Applicant Guidance Documents
UK Transport Vision 2050.pdf
This document is the "UK Transport Vision 2050" (Second Edition), which serves as a strategic framework outlining Innovate UK’s investment priorities and long-term innovation goals for the transport sector. It provides critical context on the drivers, enablers, and technological pathways that will guide future funding decisions and project alignment.
Download Official DocumentApplicant Briefing - CMDC7 Final.pdf
This document serves as the official applicant briefing slides for the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 7. It provides essential details on competition scope, eligibility criteria, application requirements, and the support available from the UK Maritime Innovation Hub.
Download Official DocumentMaritime Decarbonisation Strategy Analytical Annex.pdf
This document is an analytical annex to the UK Government’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy, providing the technical modelling, policy assumptions, and decarbonisation scenarios for the UK domestic maritime sector. It offers critical data on fuel types, emissions factors, and policy pathways essential for applicants to align their proposals with government decarbonisation goals.
Download Official DocumentCMDC 7 Assessor Guidance for applicants Deployment trials .pdf
This document is the official assessor guidance for the CMDC 7 Deployment trials competition. It provides applicants with the specific scoring criteria, required evidence, and detailed expectations for each question to ensure their proposal aligns with the competition's objectives and evaluation standards.
Download Official DocumentApplication Questions & Guidance Brief
Every question below carries specific word limits and guidance criteria.
Project summary
Official Guidance
Describe your project briefly and be clear about what makes it innovative. We use this section to assign the right experts to assess your application. You must include: the project objectives; the project deliverables, including for pre-deployment and deployment trial projects, the nature, location and duration of the trial and why the demonstration you propose will validate the performance of your technology; how the project can support a significant reduction in the well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector, including, where relevant, by addressing air pollution risks or other environmental impacts from decarbonisation solutions; how the project relates to the maritime sector, what parts of the sector the project addresses, and how the project outputs will impact on them.
Public description
Official Guidance
Describe your project in detail and in a way that you are happy to see published. Do not include any commercially sensitive information. If we award your project funding, we will publish this description. This can happen before you start your project.
Scope
Official Guidance
Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope, it will not be sent for assessment. We will tell you the reason why.
Applicant location (not scored)
Official Guidance
You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation and any partners or subcontractors working on your project. We are collecting this information to understand more about the geographical location of all applicants.
Animal testing (not scored)
Official Guidance
Will your project involve any trials with animals or animal testing? You must select one option: Yes, No. We will only support innovation projects conducted to the highest standards of animal welfare. Further information for proposals involving animal testing is available at the UKRI Good Research Hub and NC3R’s animal welfare guidance.
Permits and licences (not scored)
Official Guidance
Will you have the correct permits and licences in place to carry out your project? We are unable to fund projects which do not have the correct permits or licences in place by your project start date. You must select one option: Yes, No, In the process of being applied for, Not applicable.
International collaboration (not scored)
Official Guidance
Does your proposed work involve any international collaboration or engagement? You must provide details of any expected international collaboration or engagement. You must include a list of the names and the countries, any international project co-leads, project partners, visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in. You must also include details of any subcontractors or service providers. If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration or engagement, your answer must confirm this.
Export licence (not scored)
Official Guidance
You must indicate whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance. You must select one option: Yes, No.
Trusted Research and Innovation (not scored)
Official Guidance
You must explain if your proposed project work relates to UKRI’s Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) Principles, including: a list of any dual-use (both military and non-military) applications to your research; a list of the areas where your project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI) Act; whether an export control license is required for this project under the academic export control guidance and the status of any applications; a list of any items or substances on the UK Strategic Export Control List. If your proposed work does not relate to UKRI’s TR&I Principles, your answer must confirm this. We may ask you to provide additional TR&I information at a later date, in line with UKRI TR&I Principles and funding terms and conditions.
Project Theme (not scored)
Official Guidance
Which theme does your project align with? You must select one of the themes listed below. You must write your answer exactly as stated in the bullet points. If your project aligns with more than one theme choose the theme under which the majority of the work will be delivered. (Themes include Priority themes, Vessel technology themes, Infrastructure technologies, Smart shipping themes, and General themes).
End user (not scored)
Official Guidance
Who will be the end users involved in your project? You must state each end user and how they are contributing to the project. You can submit an appendix to support your answer. It must be a PDF no larger than 10MB. It can be up to one A4 page and must be legible at 100% zoom.
Need or challenge
Official Guidance
What is the business need, technological challenge, or market opportunity behind your innovation? Explain: the main motivation for the project; the business need, technological challenge or market opportunity; whether you have identified any similar innovation and its current limitations, including those close to market or in development; the problem that the outcomes of your project will solve; be specific about the needs of your target end users; how your project will provide a viable solution to these problems; any work you have already done to respond to this need; the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity. Explain how the project will enable the uptake of clean maritime technologies and how the project objectives overcome barriers to adoption of these technologies, including: how this project might support or enable the development of regulation; how the project will further the understanding of the current gaps in knowledge on the technical aspects of the technology; how the project will address the energy challenges associated with clean maritime adoption.
Approach and innovation
Official Guidance
What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be? Explain: the technical detail and approach; how you will respond to the need; how you will improve on similar innovation; whether the innovation focuses on existing technologies in new areas, new technologies for existing areas, or a disruptive approach; the technically innovative elements; technology progress or skills development; how your project is tailored to maritime applications; how you have considered the regulatory landscape; how your project will engage with relevant regulatory authorities; the freedom you have to operate; how this project fits with your current offerings; how it will make you more competitive; the nature of the outputs; how you have estimated your energy demand; how you will ensure a sufficient and sustainable energy supply; how you will ensure offtakers and other customers are committed; the proposed commercial arrangements. You can submit one appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Environmental impact
Official Guidance
What impact will this project have on reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from maritime and how have you evidenced this? You must: explain the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions forecast; explain any reduction resulting from business expansion or post-project activity; explain why forecasts are realistic; explain calculations and assumptions; provide evidence to justify reduction enabled through addressing associated air pollution risks; explain any other expected environmental impacts. Provide initial estimates of annual reduction in global greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. Greenhouse gas estimates must be in MtCO2eq (well-to-wake). Air pollutant estimates must be in tonnes (tank-to-wake). You can submit one appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Team and resources
Official Guidance
Who is in the project team and what are their roles? Explain: the end user in your team; the roles, skills and experience of all members; the resources, equipment and facilities needed; details of any vital external parties/subcontractors; any use of overseas subcontractors and justification; current relationships between partners; any roles you will need to recruit for. You can submit one appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Market awareness
Official Guidance
What does the market or markets you are targeting look like? Describe: the expected level of demand; the markets and sub sectors you will be targeting; the size of the target markets; the structure and dynamics of the target markets; the target markets’ main supply or value chains and business models; the current UK position; the size and main features of any other markets. If highly innovative/unexplored, describe market size and how you will explore potential.
Outcomes and route to market
Official Guidance
How are you going to grow your business, capture market share and increase long term productivity as a result of the project? Explain: your current position; your target customers; why customers will be incentivised to use/buy your product; your route to market; your market exploitation strategy; who the competitors are and why you will win; potential benefits from export; how you are going to profit; how the innovation will affect productivity and growth; how you will protect and exploit outputs; your strategy for targeting other markets.
Jobs and investment
Official Guidance
What impact will this project have on jobs and investment in the UK? You must: describe impacts on jobs and investment; clarify if impacts are local, regional or national; cover both jobs created and safeguarded; describe the nature of skills; cover jobs/investment from business expansion or post-project activity; explain why forecasts are realistic; explain calculations and assumptions; for safeguarded jobs, provide evidence they would be lost without funding. You must submit one appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Wider impacts
Official Guidance
What wider impacts might this project have outside the project team? Describe and measure wider economic benefits (growth, productivity, import substitution) to the public, external parties, customers, supply chain, industry, and UK economy. Provide estimates of impacts on government priorities, regional impacts, benefits from export, how you will anchor IP in the UK, and competitive advantage. Describe expected social impacts (quality of life, social inclusion, education, health and safety, regulations, diversity).
Project management
Official Guidance
How will you manage your project effectively? Explain: the main work packages; your approach to project management; management reporting lines; your project plan (links/dependencies, resources, permits, licences, equipment). You must submit a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Risks
Official Guidance
What are the main risks for this project? Explain: the main risks and uncertainties (technical, commercial, managerial, environmental); how you will mitigate these; critical project inputs; output subject to regulatory requirements/certification; how you will manage risks to provide a realistic timing plan; key limitations and uncertainties associated with future commercial demand. You must submit a risk register as an appendix (up to two A4 pages).
Knowledge sharing and clean maritime market development
Official Guidance
How will this project enhance the UK’s position as a world leader in clean maritime technology through shared learning, dissemination and knowledge exchange? Describe: processes for ensuring lessons are learned; how you will take account of other relevant work; knowledge sharing arrangements; evidence and data to be collected; how you will transfer knowledge from overseas subcontractors; types of information you plan to share; how your project offers learning and development; scalability and replicability.
Added value
Official Guidance
How will this public funding help you to accelerate or enhance your approach to developing your project towards commercialisation? Explain: how public funding is essential; why the project would not go ahead without it; advantages public funding offers; impact on organisations involved; why it cannot be funded internally; other routes of investment engaged with; how grant funding will be used; what the project would look like without funding; how this reduces future need for public funding; how this changes R&D activities.
Costs and value for money
Official Guidance
How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer? Explain: total eligible project costs; grant requested and why it is the minimum required; how each partner will finance contributions; how this represents value for money; how it compares to other spending; balance of costs and grant; subcontractor costs; overseas subcontracting and materials costs. You can submit one appendix (up to one A4 page).