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The projects, led by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have developed innovative technology and partnered with existing industry companies to explore the viability of these solutions in real-world conditions. The winning projects include Skyports Deliveries, which will use drones to improve island-to-island connectivity in the Orkney Islands, and Electric Assisted Vehicles, which is developing a 4-wheel, electrically assisted lightweight delivery vehicle to help reduce road emissions, the UK government said in a press release.
The winners will benefit from a bespoke business support programme, the Freight Innovation Fund accelerator, which will help them access private investment. They will also be invited to join a ‘freight innovation cluster’, a community of innovators that will hold events, encourage collaboration and generate new opportunities, and stimulate growth within the wider freight sector.
The winning projects address three longstanding issues in the freight sector: a lack of large-scale cross-industry data collection and sharing between different modes of freight transport, difficulties in intermodal transport, and improvements in freight distribution in ports across different transport modes.
The FIF is part of the government’s Future of Freight plan, launched in 2022, which aims to work closely with industry to deliver a world-class freight system that supports economic growth and builds on the measures already taken to tackle the global heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver shortage, the release added.
The nine projects that have been awarded funding are: Skyports Deliveries, CurbCargo, Lightricity Ltd, Electric Assisted Vehicles Ltd, Otaski Energy Solutions Ltd and Syselek Ltd, CocoonFMS Ltd, Entopy, RoboK Ltd, and Estudio Cactus.
Roads minister Richard Holden, said: “Whether it’s drones for deliveries on remote islands or zero emission buggies—we want to invest in future technology that could transform how we move goods around the country while reducing emissions and traffic and creating skilled jobs.
“The Freight Innovation Fund gives innovators the opportunity to test their ideas and help our freight industry become greener and more efficient—unlocking better connectivity and boosting growth across the country.”
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)