The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has announced that it is providing £2 million worth of funding for innovative ideas that can reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of marine vessels. As a contribution to the Technology Strategy Board‟s second collaborative research and development (CR&D) competition on vessel efficiency, this funding brings the total amount available to £5 million.

This competition, entitled „Vessel Efficiency II: better systems at sea‟, builds on the success of the first competition which was held last year. The funding, to develop novel projects to make vessels more efficient, is expected to encourage the transfer of innovation from civil to defence applications and vice versa.

The overall competition will fund projects within voyage performance management and vessel system technologies across all sectors of the UK marine industry. The funding from Dstl will be focussed on vessel system technologies, which could include:

emissions reduction systems and management innovative energy production, management and storage reduction of onboard power demand
fuel consumption monitoring and optimisation minimal-loss propulsion systems.

Dr Philip Smith, a maritime expert at Dstl, says: “I was very impressed by the number of high quality proposals received under the first Vessel Efficiency competition, which illustrated that solutions to increase vessel efficiency are as applicable to both civil and naval ships. I am therefore very pleased that Dstl has been able to increase the budget of the second Vessel Efficiency competition by £2 million and I look forward to seeing the proposals.”

Technology Strategy Board Chief Executive Iain Gray said: "There is a breadth of expertise in the UK's marine industry and it is important to build on this strong position and fully embrace opportunities worldwide in this sector. The funding from Dstl will provide additional support for UK businesses to work together on innovative ideas and rise to the challenge of improving vessel efficiency."

For more information on the competition and how to apply visit: www.innovateuk.org

For more information contact the Dstl press office on 01980 658088, 07796 705463, press@dstl.gov.uk. 

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Notes to editors:

Dstl

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) maximises the impact of science and technology (S&T) for the defence and security of the UK, supplying sensitive and specialist S&T services for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and wider government.

Dstl is a trading fund of the MOD, run along commercial lines. It is one of the principal government organisations dedicated to S&T in the defence and security field, with three main sites at Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, and Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks.

Dstl works with a wide range of partners and suppliers in industry, in academia and overseas. Around 60% of the Defence Science and Technology Programme is delivered by these external partners and suppliers.

The Technology Strategy Board

The Technology Strategy Board is the UK‟s innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.