£5 million competition invites ideas to reduce the
cause of vehicle emissions, minimise the amount of particulates
produced and improve air quality.
Air pollution can have a huge and potentially fatal impact on
human health, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and
people suffering from lung and heart conditions.
A new competition from Innovate UK is to invest almost £5 million
to reduce the cause of emissions from vehicles, minimise the
amount of particulates produced and improve air quality.
Many of the particulates in the air come from vehicle and surface
wear, as well as non-road vehicles and equipment. Addressing
these sources will help to reduce harmful emissions and create
cleaner air for everyone.
Commenting on the importance of tackling air
pollution, British Lung
Foundation Director of Policy, Alison Cook said:
The UK’s poor air quality truly is a public health crisis. We
know that air pollution affects us all, and that children, the
elderly and people with heart and lung problems are most at
risk.
That’s why finding new solutions to clean up the air we breathe
is so important. This competition is a fantastic initiative
from Innovate UK and could ultimately result in a healthier
future for us all.
We recently released a report on particulate
matter around UK health centres. The findings revealed that
over 2,000 hospitals and GPs are in areas of unsafe air
pollution according to limits set by the World Health
Organisation.
Particulate pollution is extremely harmful to our health, as
the particles are small enough to pass through the lungs and
into the bloodstream. It’s not right that hundreds of thousands
of patients are breathing in dirty air as they seek medical
care, and it shows just how crucial it is that we solve the
UK’s pollution problem as soon as possible.
Non-exhaust and non-road pollution
Organisations can win funding to work on ideas that go beyond
exhaust and road vehicle fumes:
- emissions, either from road vehicle brake and tyre wear or
road surface abrasion
- industrial equipment and non-road vehicles used on
construction sites, such as excavators, bulldozers, front
loaders, cranes and compressors with combustion engines
- refrigeration units in vehicles including vans or heavy goods
vehicles
Projects in this competition should develop and demonstrate
products or services in these 3 areas.
This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition
that is being run in 2 phases.
Up to 6 projects can get funded contracts for feasibility studies
in the first phase, where there is up to £300,000 available. The
best projects will be invited to apply to a second phase, worth
£4.5 million, to take their ideas further, develop a prototype
and test its effectiveness.
Part of the Strategic Priorities Fund
The competition is part of the Strategic Priorities Fund being
delivered by UK Research and
Innovation for clean air.
The programme is a collaboration between the Natural Environment
Research Council, Innovate UK, Medical Research Council, Economic
and Social Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council, the Met Office and
the National Physical
Laboratory. It will bring together leading researchers,
businesses and government departments to minimise the effects of
climate change on the environment and protect communities.
Clean growth is one of the Grand
Challenges set out in the government’s modern Industrial
Strategy. It aims to lead the shift to clean energy through
the development, manufacture and use of low-carbon technologies,
systems and services.
- the competition opens on 12 November 2018, and the deadline
to register is at midday on 9 January 2019
- organisations of any size can lead a project, working alone
or with others
- in phase 1, projects can have costs up to £50,000 including
VAT and last up to 3 months. Phase 2 projects can have costs up
to £1.5 million including VAT
- projects should complement the work already being done in
this area to increase the number of low or zero-emission vehicles
on the roads.
- there will be a briefing event on 13
November 2018 in London and online, where
organisations can find out more and how to submit a quality
application
- applicants will be notified by 22 February 2019
