New Innovators in Marine and Maritime, Great South West

Overview

Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme is offering up to £2.3 million in grant funding to support micro and small UK businesses developing innovative solutions in the marine and maritime sector in the Great South West. Delivered in partnership with Maritime UK South West and local councils, the funding aims to help businesses create affordable, adoptable, and investable innovations that are ahead of current market offerings. Successful applicants will also receive tailored support from Innovate UK Business Growth to help scale their innovation and unlock further opportunities.

Scope

The aim of this competition is to provide a package of targeted support to enable ambitious UK registered micro and small businesses to develop affordable, adoptable and investable innovations in the marine and maritime cluster in the Great South West.

Your project must grow your innovation activities in the marine and maritime cluster in the Great South West, both during and after your project.

This could be demonstrated by:

• your local innovation activities during and after your project
• the value that your innovation activities create in the cluster
• your engagement with other innovation active organisations in the cluster, such as with Maritime UK South West, this Launchpad’s cluster management organisation

For this competition, the Great South West consists of Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Your application may be considered ineligible if you do not describe clearly how your main project activities and work packages meet the scope of this competition.

This includes the main project activities of any subcontractors. If you do not describe clearly how your activities in the cluster will continue after your project, then you are unlikely to be offered funding in this competition.

Your project must focus on one or more of the following:

• marine autonomy
• clean maritime
• digital ocean technologies

In your application, you must demonstrate that you:

• have an innovative idea
• need public funding
• have the capability to deliver the project

We are particularly interested in how your proposal will help you:

• develop both your ambitious idea and your business
• create a new revenue stream, for example new products, services or IP
• evidence and enable your market, funding and commercialisation plans
• show what is feasible, in helping you decide whether to pursue your idea further
• catalyse further innovation on your path to commercial success
• respond to changing market conditions

Key themes and topics

Your project can focus on one or more of the following theme areas:

• Monitoring and autonomy

Developing or using disruptive technologies to replace traditional ship-based alternatives for equipment inspection and other marine monitoring operations and enhance safety of the seas, such as in the offshore renewable energy industry.

• Clean maritime

Transitioning 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.

• Digital ocean technology

Advancing sensor and communication technology and their connectedness and interoperability, to enhance our understanding of the ocean and the impacts from offshore operations, including in aquaculture and the emerging ocean economy.

This list is not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this competition you can focus on other themes.

Project duration

Last between 3-6 months

Must start by 01 October 2025

End by 31 May 2026

Award value

Between £25,000 and £50,000 (100% funded)

Funding rates

Eligibility criteria

• Projects must be collaborative and led by a UK registered micro or small business
• Each business can submit only one application
• Only one project per business will be funded
• Subcontractors must be preferably UK-based with fully justified and appropriate costs
• All funded project work must be carried out within the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• This grant is Minimal Financial assistance (MFA) under De Minimis Regulations