Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure 2

Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure Round Two: Electric Power

Funds UK businesses developing 100% battery electric vessels, charging infrastructure, and shore power systems through Innovate UK's ZEVI 2 clean maritime competition.

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), administers the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure Round Two (ZEVI 2) Electric Power competition in partnership with the Department for Transport (DfT). The competition is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a UK government initiative to decarbonise the maritime sector. The total fund for this competition is £150 million, delivered as grant funding for collaborative innovation projects.

Projects must have total eligible costs between £6 million and £60 million, and the maximum grant a project can request is £30 million, with no more than £20 million going to a single participant. Funding rates vary by organisation size and research type: for industrial research, small and micro organisations can claim up to 70%, medium organisations up to 60%, and large organisations up to 50% of eligible costs. For experimental development (nearer-to-market) work, the rates are lower: up to 45% for small/micro, 35% for medium, and 25% for large. Capital equipment for large-scale demonstration can be funded up to 80% for all organisations through 31 December 2029. Projects must start by 1 April 2027 and claim all grant funding by 31 December 2029, followed by a non-funded three-year demonstration running to 31 December 2032.

The lead organisation must be a UK registered business of any size and must collaborate with other UK registered organisations. The lead must also be, or collaborate with, a UK registered ship owner, manufacturer or operator, and a UK registered infrastructure owner or operator such as a port, harbour, marina, or inland waterway authority. Collaborators may include businesses, academic institutions, charities, not-for-profit organisations, public sector bodies, and research and technology organisations. Academic institutions cannot lead or work alone. Research organisations undertaking non-economic activity may share up to 5% of total eligible project costs, funded at 100% for RTOs and charities or 80% of full economic cost for academic institutions.

The competition opened 26 March 2026 and closes 16 September 2026 at 11:00am UK time. Shortlisted applicants are invited to interview starting 23 November 2026, with the interview panel ending 4 December 2026. Applicants are notified by 4 January 2027. Applications are assessed by five independent assessors. The scope is limited to the Electric Power strand: 100% battery electric vessels with charging infrastructure and shore power systems; it does not cover alternative fuel technologies, which are handled under a separate strand of ZEVI 2.

Applicants should note that the £6 million figure is the minimum total project cost, not the minimum grant amount — actual grant received depends on organisation type and research category. Collaboration is mandatory; solo applications are not accepted. Each participant's grant share is capped at £20 million. Projects must demonstrate a viable commercialisation pathway and plan for a three-year post-grant demonstration phase.