Innovate UK Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure

ZEVI 2: Alternative Fuels

Funds United Kingdom maritime teams developing alternative fuels like hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol in operational settings.

Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2: Alternative Fuels (ZEVI 2 – Alternative Fuels) is one of three parallel sub-calls under the £150,000,000 ZEVI 2 umbrella programme, co-funded by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport. The Alternative Fuels sub-call opens on 26 June 2026 at 9:30am UK time and closes on 16 September 2026 at 11:00am UK time. It funds the development, deployment, and operation of innovative clean maritime solutions specifically using alternative fuels — such as hydrogen, ammonia, or methanol — in practical, real-world operational settings over a three-year project duration. The two parallel sub-calls cover Electric Power and Energy Efficiency respectively.

Applications must be collaborative: lead organisations must be UK-registered businesses of any size, working alongside at least one other UK-registered partner organisation. The three-year operational requirement distinguishes ZEVI 2 from earlier-stage maritime R&D calls and signals that funded projects are expected to demonstrate a fully functioning vessel or fuel system in actual service conditions, not just laboratory environments. Award sizes per project are not publicly stated in available sources, as the £150M envelope is shared across all three ZEVI 2 sub-calls.

This programme is well suited to maritime operators, shipbuilders, port authorities, fuel suppliers, and technology developers who have progressed beyond early feasibility work and can commit to a multi-year operational demonstration. The DfT's co-funding reflects the UK government's Clean Maritime Plan targets. Applicants should note that the Alternative Fuels sub-call is listed as upcoming as of the data collection date of May 2026, with the June 2026 opening providing approximately two to three months to finalise consortium arrangements and prepare a competitive submission.