Global Business Innovation Programme in the USA - Maritime Infrastructure Technology

The Global Business Innovation Programme brings together cohorts of up to 15 innovative UK businesses (up to 500 employees) looking to grow and scale globally. Each GBIP focuses on a specific country and technology or sector area and enables the businesses to build collaborations and partnerships and explore innovation opportunities.

The Global Business Innovation Programmes are not about trade and export, but on helping innovative UK businesses tap into complementary knowledge, skills, facilities, in the chosen country and building understanding, insight, collaborations, partnerships and networks to enable the business to grow and scale globally.

Each Global Business Innovation Programme lasts up to 12 months and is structured around three phases:

• Getting ready for the market: Pre-visit briefing workshop to build knowledge and understanding of the market and potential opportunities, including how to do business, cultural aspects, how to protect your IP and training on how to improve your pitch and articulate your value proposition.
• Visiting the market: Explore the innovation opportunities first-hand through meeting with key companies and research organisations and potential collaborators and partners through pre-arranged meetings and organised matchmaking.
• Exploiting the opportunity: An exploitation workshop and one-to-one support from an Innovate UK Business Growth, Innovation and Growth Specialist to follow up and take advantage of the opportunities identified.

In order to be eligible for the Global Business Innovation Programme, you must be a small or medium sized company based in the UK. We are looking for businesses with the ambition and commitment to grow and scale globally with the need to better understand how to tackle global markets, to build partnerships and collaborations, and to explore future opportunities. A senior person from the company needs to commit to being involved in all stages of the programme.

The U.S. is widely known to be an innovation powerhouse and collaboration opportunities for UK businesses are plentiful.

The country’s maritime sector is strong. 69% of all the goods traded by the U.S. are transported over water. Ships transport over 41% of the total value of goods traded by the U.S., equal to around $1,886bn in 2021.

There are frequent, high volume maritime routes between the U.S. and the UK. Houston, Texas is a key location for these maritime routes and the Port of the Future conference collates several other ports across the country in one area. Therefore Houston is an important area maritime technology research collaboration as well as economic consideration.

Maritime business innovators in the UK have identified the U.S. as a priority country for targeting their international research collaboration on topics such as port and shore-side infrastructure, both physical and digital.

The cost to participate in the programme is the time commitment of a senior person from the business. The commitment includes working with an Innovate UK innovation and growth specialist, attending the Get ready workshop (2 days), visiting the market (1 week), and attending the Exploit the opportunity workshop (1 day).

Innovate UK will fund and organise group flights, group accommodation and group in-market travel for successful applicants. One senior representative from each company will be funded.

On acceptance to the programme a commitment fee of £1000 will be obtained from each participant, which will be refunded on completion of the full activities and agreed action plan. Non-completion after formal acceptance may result in forfeiting some or all the commitment fee.

• Explore innovation opportunities in the US port tech sector
• Gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities of doing business in the U.S
• Find potential innovation collaborators and partners and develop your network in the UK and globally
• Improve your company value proposition to international partners and investors

This GBIP is particularly relevant for businesses in the area of physical and digital port technology development for decarbonisation and air quality improvement.

Key technologies with port and maritime infrastructure applications including, but not limited to:

• Digital and cybersecurity technologies with a focus on port operations
• Low and zero carbon fuel
• Charging and shore power infrastructure and management
• Interaction with other transport modes
• Infrastructure to vessel system technology

Register for the applicant briefing event on Friday the 7th February here.

Application form can be found here.

Closing Date for applications: Sunday 23rd February 2025

Applicants will be notified if successful: 6th March 2025

Get Ready Workshop: 11th March – 12th March 2025

Market Visit: Saturday 29th March – Saturday 8th April 2025

Exploitation Workshop: 25th June 2025