The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £1m to encourage businesses working in fuel-cell and hydrogen technologies to explore potential partnerships with EU businesses as a precursor to further development.
We aim to facilitate collaboration with potential European partners to enable the development of European supply chains, strengthen access to markets and increase the level of UK business participation in EU programmes. Up to £1m is available for feasibility studies that prepare the ground for direct business-to-business technology integration or for further industrial research. Further research may include applications for EU funding, such as to the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, the Eurostars programme or Horizon2020.
Projects are expected to last between six and 12 months and project costs must not exceed £125k. Projects may be led by a single company but must include an interaction with a non-UK business in the EU. Applicants will be permitted to subcontract up to 30% of project costs to the EU partner.
The competition for feasibility studies opens on 26 November 2012. The deadline for registration is at noon on 9 January 2013 and the deadline for receipt of applications is at noon on 16 January 2013. A briefing day for potential applicants will be held in London on 4 December 2012.
Up to a further £1m is available in a parallel competition for feasibility studies to encourage the development of manufacturing capabilities and novel supply-chain partnerships to support the production of fuel cells in the UK. Details of this competition, Building fuel cell manufacturing and the supply chain, are available here.
