News: 2020 transport-technology research and innovation grant (T-TRIG) winners announced
Pioneering technology and projects that prioritise safer, greener travel are among the winners of government funding announced today (11 February 2021).
Now in its seventh year, the transport-technology research and innovation grant (T-TRIG) programme, in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, enables the country’s brightest entrepreneurs and researchers to develop cutting-edge tech to make UK transport systems safer, more sustainable and accessible.
A number of this year’s winners focus on ways that we can respond to and recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including a project that looks at how a purifying system can remove airborne COVID-19 particles from trains, creating safer and cleaner carriages.
Among the winners are projects to validate a prototype carbon capture process for marine diesel engines and another that will make use of automotive technologies to support the retrofit of vessels.
Transport Minister Rachel Maclean said:
"I’m delighted to see government investment bringing together talented start-ups and policy-makers at the earliest stages of innovation, and giving a boost to the technology, which could make travelling safer on our road to a green transport recovery.
"This funding will make the UK one of the most attractive places for SMEs and university thinkers to do what they do best, as we look to build back better, while also solving the complex challenge of decarbonising transport."
This year, T-TRIG is investing £30,000 in each of the 23 successful projects focused on COVID-19 recovery and decarbonisation to help budding innovators and academics propel their ideas to market more quickly.
To date, 199 innovation projects have received a share of £6 million in funding – more than 60% of these grants have been awarded to small businesses, with 30% going to universities.
Support from this fund has often been a precursor to funding from private investors. Since the scheme began, successful T-TRIG projects have secured more than £25 million in additional investment, largely from the private sector.
Maritime project winners
| Secure Border-Ready Freight | The Secure Border-Ready Freight project proposed by SYSELEK will address the impending problem of high volumes of unitised freight traffic between customs clearance sites and major UK ports. | SYSELEK (UK) Ltd | SME |
| Pilot Diesel Engine Exhaust Gas Treatment Trial for A3C Carbon Capture Process | This project addresses de-carbonisation of marine transport. Its objective is to develop and validate a prototype carbon capture process for marine diesel engines. The team will add essential pre-treatment components and evaluate the performance of the A3C process in carbon capture trials using real engine exhaust gases. | PMW Technology Limited | SME |
| TorqueSight - advanced sensor system for maritime propulsion efficiency gains | This project will show that the retrofitting of small ships is possible to allow them to substantially reduce their carbon footprint or to even transition to zero-carbon propulsion, whilst benefitting from the additional energy savings using technologies derived from the automotive sector which are to be incorporated. | DuoDrive Limited | Start-up |
| Air Lubrication System for maritime fuel efficiency gains | This project targets the demonstration of a passive sub process required to efficiently inject lubricating air bubbles across the bottom of a ship in transit. The overarching aim is to collectively unlock the deployment opportunities needed to accelerate the de-carbonisation of the shipping sector. | Armada Technologies Limited | Start-up |