Charting the Course to Net Zero: Spotlight on the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7 Feasibility Studies Grant

The journey towards decarbonizing the maritime sector is one of the most critical, complex, and capital-intensive technological shifts facing the UK today. From port infrastructure upgrades to novel propulsion systems for deep-sea vessels, achieving net-zero requires rigorous, front-loaded research and development.

For innovative UK businesses aiming to contribute to this vital transition, the Department for Transport (DfT), working through Innovate UK, frequently provides crucial early-stage support. This spotlight focuses on a targeted injection of funding designed specifically to de-risk concepts before they require large-scale physical demonstration: The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7 (CMDC7): Feasibility Studies strand.

This opportunity is not for building prototypes; it is for proving the concept on paper. If your organization has a breakthrough idea for cleaner shipping, but needs robust technical and economic validation, CMDC7 Fesibility Studies is precisely where you should focus your attention.

Understanding the Strategic Role of Feasibility Studies

Innovate UK competitions often run in sequential phases. A feasibility study grant represents the foundational step. The goal here is to thoroughly investigate the technical viability, market potential, and economic hurdles of a proposed clean maritime technology before committing significant capital to physical trials or large demonstrations in later competition strands.

What CMDC7 Feasibility Studies Funds:

This strand is explicitly geared towards desk-based technical and economic feasibility studies. This means successful projects will deliver comprehensive documentation, analysis, and modelling demonstrating credibility across several fronts:

1. Technical Viability: Can this technology realistically work within the constraints of the maritime environment (e.g., harsh operating conditions, space limitations on vessels)?
2. Economic Case: What is the rough cost of eventual deployment? What is the expected return on investment or cost saving compared to incumbent technologies? How fast can it be commercialized?
3. Scope Coverage: The studies can cover innovations across the maritime ecosystem, including on-vessel solutions, crucial port or harbour infrastructure necessary to support new fuels or vessels, or even studies related to developing the necessary skills base supporting these new technologies.

Crucially, the brief states that these studies must be associated with future real-world demonstration. You must clearly articulate how your desk study acts as the necessary precursor to moving into a tangible project iteration.

Key Financial and Temporal Parameters

While the precise percentage of funding provided (the grant rate) is not detailed within the brief, the scope of the total eligible project costs is strictly defined. Applicants must structure their feasibility study budgets within the following strict boundaries:

• Minimum Project Cost: £100,000
• Maximum Project Cost: £1,000,000

This range suggests that the DfT/Innovate UK is looking for substantial, in-depth studies, moving beyond simple exploration toward detailed engineering assessments and robust financial modeling. Unlike smaller innovation grants, this scale implies a high bar for the quality and depth of the resulting feasibility report.

Furthermore, time management is critical:

• Project Duration: Projects must last up to 12 months.
• Start Timeline: All successful projects must commence work by April 2027.

Who Can Apply? Mastering Eligibility

This competition targets organizations ready to conduct high-level, independent research, but it is designed to be accessible to a broad spectrum of innovators within the UK ecosystem.

• Lead Organisation: UK registered businesses of any size are eligible to apply as the lead organization.
• Collaboration: You are encouraged to collaborate with other UK registered organizations. This is vital in complex fields like maritime tech, where synergy between technology developers, shipyards, port operators, or academic institutions adds significant merit to a proposal.
• Geographic Constraint (Crucial): A non-negotiable cornerstone of this funding is that all funded work and exploitation must be conducted within the UK. This commitment ensures that public funding directly supports the development and future commercialization of clean maritime intellectual property on British soil.

While SMEs and Startups are explicitly listed as a key target audience-understandably, as they often drive niche innovation-established companies with proven R&D capabilities are equally welcome to lead these necessary investigative projects.

Practical Strategy: Preparing a Winning CMDC7 Feasibility Application

Given the competitive nature of Innovate UK calls, preparation must be focused, especially when the deliverable is a desk study rather than physical hardware.

1. Define the Technical Gap and Solution Scope

Be exceptionally clear about the precise maritime bottleneck your technology addresses (e.g., ammonia storage, high-efficiency hydrogen fuel cells for ferries, zero-emission port charging). Because this is a feasibility study, the methodology of the desk study itself must be robust. Detail the specific analytical techniques, existing research you will leverage, and the assumptions you will test.

2. The Economic Rigour Test

Funders want to see that the technology, once proven feasible technically, is also economically viable in the long term. Your economic study must include:

• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Analysis: Compare your solution against current standards over a relevant operational lifetime.
• Market Sizing and Penetration Scenarios: Demonstrate a realistic pathway to significant market adoption within the defined UK operational environment.
• Risk Mitigation: Clearly identify known technical and commercial risks assessed during the study, and how proceeding to the next demonstration phase will mitigate them.

3. Aligning with Future Demonstrations

Review past and ongoing DfT/Innovate UK demonstration calls (if possible) to ensure your feasibility study is targeting potential technologies that would be capable of being funded in subsequent, larger-scale demonstration phases. A study that results in a concept too small or too specialized for future significant demonstrators may score poorly.

4. Address the Exploitation Plan

Knowing that exploitation must remain UK-based, detail how the IP developed during this study will be commercialized within the UK. Will it lead to new UK manufacturing capacity, service jobs, or intellectual property licensing within the British maritime industrial base?

What Information Is Still Unclear?

While the brief provides excellent direction on scope and eligibility, applicants must be diligent in checking the official portal for specifics crucial to budgeting:

• Grant Funding Rate: The percentage of eligible costs covered by the grant (e.g., 70%, 80%) is not specified here. This drastically impacts your required matched funding. Check the official competition documents.
• Specific Assessment Criteria: Innovate UK typically uses detailed scoring criteria. These criteria are paramount for tailoring your written proposal and must be sourced from the official application pack.

Your Next Step on GrantGunner

This is a time-sensitive opportunity, with the deadline set for July 15, 2026. If your UK-based business is positioned to undertake rigorous proof-of-concept work in the clean maritime space, do not delay.

GrantGunner can help you streamline your process. You can explore the full details of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition 7: Feasibility studies, check the exact deadlines, and begin preparing your application documentation via our platform. We help you cut through the noise to focus on execution.

Secure the initial funding necessary to move your clean technology from the drawing board to the forefront of the UK's maritime future.