As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, £30 million of funding has been made available to coastal communities and businesses across the UK via the latest round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC6).

CMDC is designed to support clean maritime technologies including electric, hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, wind power and more, and the funding aims to boost regional economies and drive investment and employment opportunities.

Image: GT Wings’ AirWing™, a flagship CMDC project that received £3.7 million in government funding.

CMDC funding comes from the £236 million UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, which is focused on decarbonising the UK maritime sector through research and development. Previous rounds of the CMDC have seen funding delivered to more than 300 organisations, pulling in over £100 million of private investment across the UK.

One of the programme’s flagship projects, GT Wings’ AirWing™, received £3.7 million for its innovative wind propulsion system that could reduce vessel emissions by up to 30% to be built and delivered locally in Hull. This project has created opportunities for skilled workers and brought economic activity to the region, positioning Hull as a hub for maritime innovation.

Innovate UK will open the sixth round of the CMDC on 24 January, and the application window will close on 16 April 2025, bringing the total invested through the CMDC to £159 million.