New investment will stimulate marine and maritime innovation
Up to £8 million is to be invested by Government to support and stimulate new research and development aimed at making marine vessels more efficient.
The investment will be made by the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board (www.innovateuk.org), the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (www.dstl.gov.uk) and Scottish Enterprise (www.scottish-enterprise.com) through a competition for funding for fast-track and collaborative research and development projects.
Through the ‘Vessel Efficiency: Piloting Marine and Maritime Innovation’ competition for funding, which opens in January 2013, the Technology Strategy Board and its partners are seeking proposals from businesses, whether currently inside or outside the industry, to develop solutions covering a wide range of technology areas which have the potential to improve vessel efficiency in existing and future ships, boats, submarines, and their associated equipment and systems.
Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said:"The UK's marine industries employ over 90,000 people, generate over £10 billion turnover and have tremendous prospects for growth through innovation. The UK is well-placed to exploit future opportunities, both domestically and globally, and the funding available through this competition aims to help grow the sector through building collaboration – including with small and micro companies – and developing the UK supply chain."
David Sherburn, Maritime Domain Leader in Dstl said: “I am enthusiastic about getting involved in collaborative work across government to address common issues. Both military and civil operators are faced with the same challenges of reducing fuel use, with the Royal Navy targeted to reduce fossil fuel use by 18% by 2020. Hence there is significant overlap in the utility of vessel efficiency technologies between the military and civil markets.”
Paul Lewis, Managing Director, sectors and commercialisation, Scottish Enterprise, said: "With over 40% of the UK’s shipbuilding sector and well over 400 companies involved in the marine industry supply chain, Scotland plays a significant role in the UK marine sector. Scottish company and university technology capabilities are globally-recognised and provide real prospects for future growth. By investing in this competition, we can help provide an opportunity for ambitious Scottish businesses in both the marine and adjacent technology sectors to develop new commercially- focused marine products and services for international markets.”
This competition will fund projects within low carbon/green shipping and propulsion and marine ICT that can contribute to more efficiently designed vessels across all marine and maritime industries – commercial, defence and leisure. Proposals should show that efficiency gains of a minimum of 5% for current vessels could be achieved, with targets of up to 25% on future designs.
There will be two streams to the competition. Around 10% of the funding will be available for ‘fast-track’ projects, each lasting between 6 and 12 months. These must be collaborative and led by a business, and include a small or micro business. The second stream of funding will be for larger collaborative R&D projects, also business-led, which are expected to last between 12 and 36 months.
For further information about the ‘Vessel Efficiency: Piloting Marine and Maritime Innovation’ competition for funding please visit: http://www.innovateuk.org/content/competition/vessel-efficiency-piloting-uk-marine-and-maritime-.ashx
1. The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.
2. The vision of the Technology Strategy Board is for the UK to be a global leader in innovation and a magnet for innovative businesses, where technology is applied rapidly, effectively and sustainably to create wealth and enhance quality of life. Our approach to accelerating the pace of innovation in the UK is captured in our strategy document, Concept to Commercialisation, published in May 2011. This builds on our first strategy, developed in 2008, and sets out new directions, taking into account the challenges and exciting opportunities that lie ahead. To see the new strategy please visit: Concept to Commercialisation.
3. The Technology Strategy Board’s _connect platform provides an effective and powerful way to collaborate online, network and share knowledge with other innovators. It provides a place to work together securely and share information & knowledge. Users can utilise the online tools to work collaboratively, discuss ideas and find events. The networks offer up-to-the minute news on funding, events, articles and publications, plus information about all 15 Knowledge Transfer Networks. Through the networks, users can find potential business partners, entrepreneurs, collaborators, other innovators, researchers and academics.
4. The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory maximises the impact of science and technology (S&T) for the defence and security of the UK, supplying sensitive and specialist S&T services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider government. It starts from the presumption that work should be conducted by external suppliers unless there is a clear reason for it to be done or led by Dstl. At present, around sixty percent of the approximately £400 million MOD non-nuclear defence research programme, managed through Dstl, goes to industry and academia to deliver. Dstl is a trading fund of the MOD, run along commercial lines. It is one of the principal government organisations dedicated to S&T in the defence and security field, with around 3,700 staff 3,500 scientists, technologists and engineers at its three main sites: Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, and Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks. For more information please visit www.dstl.gov.uk.
5. Scottish Enterprise (www.scottish-enterprise.com) is Scotland's main economic development agency and aims to deliver a significant, lasting effect on the Scottish economy. Its role is to help identify and exploit the best opportunities for economic growth. It supports ambitious Scottish companies to compete within the global marketplace and helps build Scotland’s globally competitive sectors. It also works with a range of partners in the public and private sectors to attract new investment to Scotland and to help create a world-class business environment.
6. The UK marine industries manufacture and provide support services in the leisure, naval, commercial, and offshore renewable energy industries. Over 5,000 companies across the UK are involved in these industries, employing over 90,000 people. They generate turnover in excess of £10 billion each year and contribute nearly £3.5 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) to the nation’s GDP. Together with the UK’s maritime services sector – which covers shipping, ports and associated business services – these industries directly contribute GVA in excess of £17 billion every year. Increased co-operation between the two could lead to GVA of around £25 billion by 2020.
7. For further information about the Vessel Efficiency: Piloting Marine and Maritime Innovation funding competition please visit: http://www.innovateuk.org/content/competition/vessel-efficiency-piloting-uk-marine-and-maritime-.ashx
8. Media enquiries about the Technology Strategy Board funding awards should be addressed to:
Nick Sheppard
Media Relations
Technology Strategy Board
07824 599644, nick.sheppard@tsb.gov.uk
and the media relations team: 07766 901150, pressoffice@tsb.gov.uk.
9. Companies and other organisations seeking information about Technology Strategy Board funding competitions should visit the Competitions page of the Technology Strategy Board website – Competitions page , email mailto:competitions@innovateuk.org or phone the Competitions Helpline at 0300 321 4357.
10. To see all press releases from the Technology Strategy Board please visit: Press Releases.
11. To subscribe to the Technology Strategy Board’s RSS newsfeed please visit: RSS newsfeed.