Major UK Maritime Grants Closing Soon: £121 Million Available for Clean Shipping and Marine Innovation

Major UK Maritime Grants Closing Soon: £121 Million Available for Clean Shipping and Marine Innovation

The application deadline is fast approaching for one of the UK’s largest maritime grant funding programmes. The £121 million Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 7, funded by the Department for Transport through the UK SHORE programme and delivered by Innovate UK, closes on 15 July 2026.

The competition supports the development of clean maritime technologies, marine innovation, low-emission vessels, zero-emission shipping, port decarbonisation and sustainable maritime transport.

CMDC Round 7 consists of three separate funding competitions. The Deployment Trials strand supports real-world demonstrations of innovative technologies onboard vessels or within maritime infrastructure. The Pre-deployment Trials strand funds technologies that require testing and validation before operational deployment. The Feasibility Studies strand supports primarily desk-based technical and economic studies that prepare future demonstration projects, including projects focused on maritime skills.

Projects may cover a broad range of areas including electric boats, hydrogen propulsion, ammonia and methanol fuels, battery systems, shore charging infrastructure, autonomous vessels, smart shipping, digital maritime technologies, artificial intelligence, digital twins, clean ports and other innovative solutions that reduce emissions from the maritime sector.

The competition is open to UK businesses, SMEs, shipbuilders, boat builders, marine equipment manufacturers, ports, universities and research organisations. Applicants should carefully select the correct competition strand, as applications cannot be transferred after submission.

With the deadline only weeks away, organisations considering funding for marine technology, clean shipping, maritime decarbonisation, green ports or innovative vessel technologies should begin preparing their applications without delay. This is one of the UK’s most significant grant opportunities currently available for the maritime sector.