Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator Cohort 3

***Applications are open until 9 June***

What is the freight innovation fund?

The UK Government has committed to a dedicated £7m cross-modal Freight Innovation Fund (FIF) as part of the Future of Freight strategy, which sets out the Government’s long-term vision for the UK freight sector. Funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered through Connected Places Catapult, the Freight Innovation Fund is a multi-faceted programme which will accelerate the adoption of commercially ready solutions into the sector.

About the accelerator programme cohort 3 (2024-25):

The Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator will support up to 12 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to trial their solutions in real-world environments to help solve pressing challenges within the freight sector. The SMEs will be selected by the DfT and Connected Places Catapult to join a 6-month programme, where each of them can access up to £150,000 to trial their solutions via a pre-commercial Pilot & Trial contract.

SMEs have two options when applying to the programme:

• Apply to be matched with an industry partner Connected Places Catapult will work with industry partners, who will provide access to testing environments and internal expertise. They will also play an active role in the SME selection as part of the due diligence process. The industry partners supporting the accelerator programme are DHL, Eddie Stobart, Freightliner, Maritime Transport, Port of Dover, Port of Tilbury, Welch Group, Wincanton and DP World UK. If you would like to get additional details about the programme partners, their motivations, potential trial facilities and resources available, please click here.

• Apply with your own Industry Partner
  
  We also welcome applications from SMEs who already have a partner they wish to trial their solutions with and can offer access to testbed facilities.

Bespoke support for successful smes:

As part of the programme, SMEs will also benefit from trial and business support tailored to their needs. This will include but is not limited to trial design training, monitoring and evaluation, investment readiness, pitch coaching, marketing support, and business modelling.

All applicants will also be able to join the Freight Innovation Cluster, a community for stakeholders operating in the freight industry. Learn more here