Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Deployment Trials

Funding Amount

The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Deployment trials is a grant competition from Innovate UK, funded by the Department for Transport, to support real world demonstrations of innovative clean maritime technologies in an operational setting.

Total funding pool: Up to £121 million across the three strands of the competition (Feasibility Studies, Pre-Deployment Trials, and Deployment Trials).

Funding per project: A project’s total eligible costs must be between £3 million and £15 million.

Funding rates are stated as follows for eligible project costs:

For industrial research projects

• Up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation

• Up to 60% if you are a medium-sized organisation

• Up to 50% if you are a large organisation

For experimental development projects nearer to market

• Up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation

• Up to 35% if you are a medium-sized organisation

• Up to 25% if you are a large organisation

Eligible Applicants

To lead a collaborative project, the lead organisation must:

• Be a UK registered business of any size

• Collaborate with other UK registered organisations

Eligible Activities

This strand funds real world demonstrations of innovative clean maritime technologies in an operational setting.

Proposals must develop, test and deploy innovative clean maritime technologies for:

• On-vessel use

• Maritime infrastructure use

• Or both

The project must:

• Deliver a meaningful deployment trial in real world conditions for at least six weeks before December 2029

• Demonstrate how the project can support a significant reduction in well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime sector

• Include at least one representative end user, such as a vessel operator, port or harbour authority

• Demonstrate significant market potential through a clear strategy for commercialising the technology and products

• Bring together a team with the expertise and experience needed to successfully deliver the project objectives

Eligible projects can focus on one or more of the following priority or thematic areas Priority themes

• Fishing vessels and inland waterways vessels

• Projects combining vessel or infrastructure technology themes with smart shipping technology themes

• Zero and near zero GHG emission fuel systems, such as ammonia or hydrogen

• Retrofitting clean maritime technology to existing vessels

Thematic areas:

• Vessel technology themes

• Infrastructure technologies including offshore themes

• Smart shipping, digital and autonomous maritime technologies

Program Deadline

15 July 2026