Deadline: 11-Sep-22
The Future of Air Mobility Accelerator (FoAM) is seeking innovative solutions to join a challenge-led, 6-month aviation accelerator programme powered by Connected Places Catapult.
The Future of Air Mobility accelerator (FoAM) is a challenge-led, 6-month accelerator programme powered by Connected Places Catapult and in partnership with the Future Flight Challenge from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Catapult will select up to 12 SMEs to join the programme where they will receive support from a consortium of industry, government, academic and regulatory partners on the trial and testing of disruptive innovations. Through a focus on new and emerging challenges within the aviation ecosystem, FoAM will work alongside a consortium of partners to ensure that the programme tackles significant sector challenges and de-risks innovation in the marketplace.
Alongside the trialling of their solutions, the SMEs will be guided through a bespoke programme tailored to their requirements, including investment readiness, technology and product development support, alongside introductions to aviation stakeholders and potential customers. These activities will be co-designed with the cohort of SMEs to support them in growing their businesses and adapting their propositions to the partners’ requirements.
The SMEs will have the opportunity to access funding through the accelerator programme, which will be used for the testing and trailing of live demonstrations. However, funding is not guaranteed and will be reviewed on a project-by-project basis by the programme.
Goals
- Bespoke business support up to 12 disruptive SMEs
- Support SMEs to secure investment and produce investment strategies
- Focus on facilitating discussions that lead to commercial contracts, both UK and international
- Support collaborative R&D, where appropriate/applicable
- Agile sprints and technical focused sessions to develop technologies and meet challenge requirements
- Support the implementation of potential trials with programme partners
- Support development of full-time employees
Challenges
- Challenge 1: Future Airport & Vertiport Operations
- Improving accessibility for passengers who need more assistance in the infrastructure supporting current and future aviation
- Operational integration of eVTOLs alongside existing aircraft at airports
- Improving throughput of security processing in vertiports and airports
- Optimising for latest time of arrival for vertiport customers
- Integrating vertiport infrastructure into urban environments
- Enabling infrastructure for autonomous ground vehicles in airports / vertiports
- Challenge 2: Aviation Sustainability
- Scaling green hydrogen, green (electric) power and energy storage
- Electrical demand modelling for vertiports
- Modelling end of life use cases for aircraft batteries
- Growing aviation’s circular economy – for example, recycling batteries / carbon fibre / composites
- Measuring non-CO2 emissions and their impact
- Reducing negative impact of aviation, including non-CO2 emissions, perceived noise and social acceptance
- Challenge 3: Future Air & Space Traffic Management
- Integrating UAS into existing airport traffic management
- Enabling infrastructure required for safe UTM in urban environments
- Airspace design & modelling for Advanced Air Mobility to help define what the airspace of the future and its management looks like
- Cybersecurity standards in autonomous and unmanned air systems
- Challenge 4:Enabling End-to-End Mobility
- Multimodality – creating an integrated transport system with aviation at its core
- First and last mile logistics for air cargo, staff and passengers
- Economic and societal impact of UK wide regional and sub-regional air connectivity for people and freight, including any wider implications
- Modelling the knock-on effect for ground transport systems alongside airspace management to find an optimal air network
Benefits
- Funding Opportunities
- The opportunity to access funding for the testing and trialling of live demonstrations
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Including pitch coaching, business support and VC support
- Business Development
- Business development opportunities and introduction to potential customers
- Technical Support
- Technical support and access to technical experts
- Investment Support
- Tailored investment readiness programme, with support from investment coaches
- Growth Focus
- 6 months of tailored business support
- Solution Showcase
- Demonstration Day to investors, industry and potential customers.
Eligibility Criteria
- You must be an SME.
- You must have or look to register a UK company address.
- Preferably an innovative digital or data solution at TRL 6+
- You must be able to address one or more of the sub-challenge statements with your technology.
For more information, visit https://community.cp.catapult.org.uk/en/page/foam-accelerator-2022-en