Twenty-five UK projects win $1.8M grant to drive cleaner and smarter mobility

The UK government has awarded £1.4 million (circa $1.8 million) in funding to 25 ‘innovative’ transport projects across the country, aiming to drive economic growth and support the UK’s transition to a cleaner, more efficient system across transport sectors.

As per the UK Department for Transport, the all-embracing focus of this year’s proposals was on local transport decarbonization, maritime decarbonization and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and drones.

Over the last ten years, the UK government’s Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) program has reportedly invested over £15 million to lend a helping hand to industries seeking new technologies and collaborations to deliver ‘critical’ economic growth throughout the country.

This year, organizations and academics who applied for the grant were able to win up to £45,000 each to offer eco-friendly alternatives.

Within the maritime industry, data-driven maritime operator JET Connectivity submitted—and won—a proposal titled 5G position, navigation and timing improving marine transport navigation at sea.

According to JET Connectivity, this project is focused on furthering the UK’s 5G connectivity and bonded atomic PNT solutions to support shipping and maritime industries in determining accurate positional information, alongside the provision of high bandwidth communication. It is believed this could lead to improved safety, certainty and efficient operation at sea.

Micro-enterprise Steamology Motion was awarded for its ‘Zero emission marine – hydrogen and oxygen fuel system (ZEM – HOFS)’, which was reportedly developed to raise the technology readiness level of marine hydrogen and oxygen gaseous/liquid fuel, storage, supply chain as well as regulation systems.

Another micro-enterprise, Neva Group, received the grant for its ‘Revolutionising marine mobility: sustainable electric rim jet drive development’ proposal.

As per Neva Group, this project revolves around an ‘improved’ electric jet drive system that targets zero emissions in marine propulsion. Based on the early estimates, the company stated that, as an example, this system could allow for an eight-meter-long leisure boat to save 5 tons of CO2 year on year.

The TRIG program has been running for over a decade, funding more than 430 projects that have ranged from efforts to connect rural communities with a shuttle bus app to trialing the use of hydrogen to make plane and boat journeys greener, the Department for Transport highlighted.

One of last year’s winners, for instance, was the clean maritime venture ACUA Ocean.

ACUA Ocean received approval in principle (AiP) from compatriot classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) in 2022 for its hydrogen control engineering system and electrical power distribution systems on what is claimed to be the world’s first zero-emission hydrogen-powered maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS).

Following this development, the next year, the venture was recognized as a TRIG grant winner for its Concept safety system for LH2 bunkering in congested port environments that sought to explore ways in which small and medium-sized workboats and leisure vessels could leverage hydrogen as a fuel.

To remind, maritime bodies in the UK have long called for the government to up its efforts if the climate-neutrality target for 2050 should remain viable.

In August 2024, the UK Chamber of Shipping, the British Ports Association, the British Tugowners Association, Cruise Line International, Maritime London, the Society of Maritime Industries, the UK Major Ports Group, and the Workboat Association wrote to maritime minister Mike Kane calling for the creation of a long-term plan to decarbonize shipping.

More specifically, the entities urged the government to establish a successor to the country’s ‘Clean Maritime Plan’—alongside a series of additional sustainability-oriented measures—and make them a top-most priority.

On the other hand, minister Kane revealed in October this year that the UK government has set aside funds for green shipping corridors to boost the use of sustainable fuels, secure more green jobs and improve environmentally friendly transport across Europe.