The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a new 2 million GBP competition that aims to encourage businesses and local authorities to work together to develop and trial transport schemes that cut long-term carbon emissions.
The Transport Decarbonisation Demonstrators programme will also enable businesses to bring new decarbonisation solutions to market through funding from DfT, thus boosting local economies.
UK businesses are eligible to apply for up to 500,000 GBP to run trials that offer alternative travel solutions in their local communities. Half of the 2 million GBP fund will be reserved for supporting rural areas, funding the adoption of more current technology to both provide better access to jobs and reduce loneliness.
The grants are set to be awarded and delivered by the UK’s national innovation agency, as well as Innovate UK, which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Mike Biddle, Executive Director Net Zero at Innovate UK, said:Taking a place-based approach to decarbonise our transport systems is critical if we are to reach our net zero targets both locally and nationally and prosper from the transition to net zero.
Innovate UK is delighted to be working with DfT to invest £2 million in innovation projects aimed at not only reducing emissions but also building key partnerships between local authorities and businesses, which will ensure maximum impact.
Applications for the competition will be open from 27 November 2023 to 8 January 2024, and can be found online on the gov.uk website.
The competition builds on the recent success of the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG), which allows the DfT to support innovative projects, ideas or concepts that facilitate a better transport system for local areas. So far, DfT has funded 20 businesses in their plan to develop early-stage transport solutions. Funding for the current round of TRIG closes for applications on 27 November 2023.
