Projects to develop a net zero transport supercluster in the Midlands, heat Glasgow homes using heat from abandoned mines, and turbocharge offshore wind farm construction in the South West are among the winners of the latest round of research and development funding announced by the UK government today.

The 17 research projects selected by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will receive up to £50,000 each and will be able to apply for a further £10m to £50m of long-term investment from the agency's 'Strength in Places Fund' later this year if early-stage development proves successful.

"We are backing our innovators and with the support they need to turn great ideas into first-class industries, products and technologies," said Business Secretary Alok Sharma. "From virtual construction projects to extracting clean heat from disused mines, the pioneering projects we are funding today will help create jobs and boost skills across the UK as we continue to drive forward our economic recovery."

Many of the selected projects are geared at decarbonising and revitalising the UK's economy as it recovers from the coronavirus crisis while striving towards meeting its 2050 net zero emissions goal.

One such project is a University of Strathclyde-led initiative to extract trapped heat from disused, flooded mines at three different locations in Glasgow in order to provide low carbon heat to homes and businesses. The developers said the approach had thepotential to generate nearly 10,000 jobs across the Central Belt of Scotland.

Other newly-funded projects geared towards delivering a net zero economy include a University of Nottingham-led project that aims to partner universities with the automotive, aerospace, and rail players in the Midlands to spur the development of green technologies, and plans by Cornwall Council's marine research and technology organisation Wave Hub to fast track the building of large-scale floating offshore wind farms in the Celtic Sea through a new 'South West Floating Offshore Wind Accelerator'.

Today's announcement marks the second round of UKRI's Strength in Places Fund, which is designed to support projects that bring together businesses and research organisations to support local economic growth. In June, seven projects secured support in the fund's inaugural funding round, including a plan to develop zero emission, high-speed ferries in Belfast.