The UK Government aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. However, some of the UK’s most economically active and industrially intensive areas are also some of the largest producers of carbon emissions, with around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions being produced by industry. For this reason, the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund has launched two competitions in a new Industrial Decarbonisation challenge.
The Industrial Decarbonisation challenge will commit £170 million towards deploying technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen networks in industrial clusters, supporting the Industrial Clusters Mission to establish the world’s first net zero industrial cluster by 2040.
Competition 1 – deployment
UK businesses will have the opportunity to apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop plans for decarbonising an industrial cluster. To compete in this Deployment phase 1, applicants will have until 4 December to submit their proposals, which must:
- have total eligible costs between £60,000 and £200,000
- be led by a UK business
- be collaborative
- last between 3 and 4 months
- aim to carry out the project work in the UK and exploit the results across other UK industrial clusters
Successful applicants from phase 1 will then compete for phase 2, where up to £131 million will be awarded for projects that will deliver, or support delivery of, significant emissions reductions in a UK industrial cluster by 2030.
Competition 2 – roadmaps
In the roadmaps competition, UK organisations can apply for a share of up to £1 million to prepare plans for their journey to achieving low carbon and net zero industrial clusters. In this competition, applicants will have until 4 December to submit their projects, which must:
- have total eligible costs between £40,000 and £120,000
- be carried out by a single organisation or in collaboration – which we encourage
- demonstrate how it will collaborate within a cluster
- last between 3 and 4 months
- be led by a UK registered business of any size, a research organisation, public sector organisation, charity or academic institution
- carry out its project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results in at least one UK industrial cluster
In phase 2 up to £8 million will be awarded for the development of industrial cluster decarbonisation roadmaps for major UK industrial clusters. These must set out how a cluster could be decarbonised to net-zero levels.
More information can either be found on the Innovate UK web page or you can always call us for a FREE consultation!
