Deadline: 2-May-23
Apply for funding to establish a flagship UK national clean maritime research hub to develop critical mass and address fundamental research challenges in clean maritime.
EPSRC and DfT will fund up to £7.4 million, at 80% of the full economic cost of the hub, with a fixed start date of 1 September 2023 and duration of 43 months.
You must:
- build a co-created interdisciplinary research consortium
- form project partner collaborations with academia, industry, policymakers and the third sector
- demonstrate at least £2 million of matched funding from project partners at application stage and a plan to increase this to £10 million by the end of the hub.
The opportunity will directly deliver against UK SHORE’s objectives and EPSRC’s Engineering Net Zero priority ambitions, by taking a systems approach to supporting the development and implementation of clean maritime solutions. The hub will address research challenges in:
- low and zero-emission fuels, energy sources and vessel technologies for the maritime sector
- land side infrastructure required to enable the uptake of low and zero-emission fuels, energy sources and vessel technologies by the maritime sector
- the role of energy efficiency solutions in facilitating the uptake of low and zero-emission fuels, energy sources and vessel technologies by the maritime sector.
Scope
- As part of its activities, the hub should expect to:
- conduct research that supports the sector to develop clean maritime solutions
- facilitate academic, industrial, and civic stakeholder knowledge exchange and networking
- support capacity building and skills development in the clean maritime research community across all career stages
- deliver papers with policy recommendations for the clean maritime sector for DfT and wider UK government to consider
- support a flexible fund focusing on fundamental and applied research, networking, and engagement.
Funding Information
- DfT and EPSRC will invest up to £7.4 million (80% full economic cost) to fund 1 clean maritime research hub. The full economic cost of your project can be up to £10 million, including indexation.
- The hub will be expected to match fund an additional minimum of £10 million (from the private sector, and regional and civic bodies) over the lifetime of the grant.
- Duration
- Funding is available for up to 43 months. The hub will have a fixed start date of 1 September 2023 and an end date of 31 March 2027. No extension to the start date can be given. Funding is subject to business case approval.
- DfT and EPSRC reserve the right to provide additional funding after March 2027 to extend the lifetime of the hub.
Eligibility Criteria
- Standard EPSRC eligibility rules apply. Research grants are open to:
- UK higher education institutions
- research council institutes
- UK Research and Innovation-approved independent research organisations
- eligible public sector research establishments
- eligible research and technology organisations
- NHS bodies with research capacity.
- They also welcome research technical professionals and professional research and investment strategy managers as co-investigators.
- You can apply if you are a resident in the UK and meet at least one of the conditions:
- are employed at the submitting research organisation at a level equivalent to lecturer or
- hold a fixed-term contract that extends beyond the duration of the proposed project, and the host research organisation is prepared to give you all the support normal for a permanent employee
- hold an EPSRC, Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering fellowship aimed at later career stages
- hold fellowships under other schemes (please contact EPSRC to check eligibility, which is considered on a case-by-case basis)
- Holders of postdoctoral level fellowships are not eligible to apply for an EPSRC grant.
For more information, visit EPSRC.