The UK government has announced nine winners of up to £130,000 to support testing of innovative technologies across the freight and logistics sector.
The latest round of funding will support small businesses trial solutions from lightweight trailers to sensors designed to improve the well-being of staff working at ports, and electric trailers that can be pulled by bikes.
The award is part of a wider Freight Innovation Fund, launched in 2023. This fund aims to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in the freight sector, ranging from decarbonisation and wastage to efficiency and upskilling of staff.
Sameer Savani, managing director for transport at Connected Places Catapult, said:
“Since it began in 2023, the Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator has provided expert support and £3.9 million of funding to 29 companies, with 27 of those conducting real-world technology trials.”
He added that so far, the companies supported “have so far gone on to secure over £100 million of investment and create 44 jobs”.
Freight innovation funding: latest winners
The winners of the second phase of the fourth round of the Freight Innovation Fund are:
- Anteam, which will trial the use of AI for enabling real-time logistics capacity sharing across freight companies in partnership with Welch Group, Baxter Freight.
- Berkeley Coachworks that aims to test the use of lightweight trailers, developed using advanced composite materials and motorsport-inspired aerodynamic design.
- GoLink Advisory Group, which is working with DPD UK to trial a new high-speed rail freight operation designed specifically for the courier, express, parcel sector.
- Optimal Cities, provider of a digital platform that helps ports, cities and logistics operators make data-driven decisions to improve health, safety and sustainability. It is trialling its sensor-based platform in partnership with Wincanton (now part of GXO), Portsmouth International Port and Port of Tyne.
- Rhevia, a company building a movement intelligence platform that provides ports and operators with a live, predictive picture of how trailers, vehicles and people flow through their environments. This solution will be trialled with Portsmouth International Port and DFDS.
- SLANT Sustainable Technologies, which is working with Bristol-based courier The Pedal Collective to demonstrate an electric trailer system.
- SpatialCortex Technology, developer of a wearable sensor and AI-driven safety solution that monitors posture, movement and strain in real time. The company is working with the Port of Tyne, DHL and Portsmouth International Port to test the technology.
- Supply Chain Analysis, which is working with ferry and logistics operator DFDS for real-world testing of its AI-powered planning and scheduling tool.
- Zizo, which is working with Welch Group and Portsmouth International Port to use GenAI to deliver data analysis on massive datasets.
The UK’s aviation, maritime and decarbonisation minister, Keir Mather said the funding “will allow businesses to start trialling their revolutionary technology on our roads, ports and railways, meaning they can make an immediate difference and help grow the economy”.
Alongside the Freight Innovation Fund, the government is providing additional funding for transport and freight through the Transport Research and Innovation Grants.
