Transport Research and Innovation Grants 2023

Grants for businesses that seek to provide solutions to some of transport’s most pressing issues, including decarbonisation.

The Department for Transport, through the Connected Places Catapult, has launched a new £1.8 million competition to support the latest innovative transport solutions as the government seeks to grow the economy while looking at ways to decarbonise transport.

This round of funding will look at several different areas including ways to decarbonise airport operations and ways to better use artificial intelligence (AI) to make transport cheaper and quicker. The 2023 round sees an increased available grant amount per winner of up to £45,000 per project.

The competition is seeking proposals which focus on: 

• airport decarbonisation: innovative ideas to support the development of airport ground infrastructure for zero emission aircraft or to support airport operations transition to zero emission
• local transport decarbonisation: innovative ideas that accelerate the decarbonisation of local transport systems, demonstrating an understanding of the needs of local areas and communities, whilst also having the potential to be scaled-up across the UK in the future
• the Future of Freight: innovative ideas that address the opportunities and challenges faced by the Freight and Logistics sector and its supporting services, as outlined in the Future of Freight plan
• maritime decarbonisation: innovative ideas for maritime solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the UK’s maritime sector, as set out in the Clean Maritime Plan, and support the transition to net zero by 2050
• connectivity, AI and digital twins: innovative ideas that combine AI, digital twins and / or digital connectivity together to enable a resilient transport system delivering cheaper, cleaner, and quicker journeys for all
• open call: innovative ideas that have the potential to address a UK transport challenge, across all modes, challenges and technology areas

Find out more about the Transport Research and Innovation Grant competition and how to apply.

Application Support Webinar

An application support webinar will be held on Thursday 9 November, which will include an overview of the programme, challenges, guidance on the application process and a live Q&A - find out more and register now.

First published 24 October 2023