Each year in the UK, we transport 1.6bn tonnes of freight using many different modes of transport and it has never been quicker or easier. The freight sector makes a huge contribution to the UK economy, but it is also a significant contributor to domestic carbon emissions.
The Freight Innovation Fund (FIF) will support SMEs with solutions to current challenges in the UK’s freight sector, as well as developing a future pipeline of solutions to meet the sector’s emerging needs. The programme will take a cross-modal view of the end-to-end freight journey, deploying solutions in real world environments. Funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Connected Places Catapult, the Freight Innovation Fund programme will identify and trial new products and services coming to market in the freight sector. It will convene and support innovating organisations across the sector and ultimately support the whole market to grow to match the ambitions of both the DfT and the whole UK economy.
The DfT has dedicated £7m to the programme to support SMEs through the Accelerator Programme and Freight Innovation Cluster until 2024.
