Arctic frontier: accelerating innovation in ocean autonomy

Upcoming UKRI funding opportunity · Grant. Opens 2026-11-19; closes 2027-02-02. Total fund £1.2 million. Opportunity page: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/arctic-frontier-accelerating-innovation-in-ocean-autonomy/

Apply for funding to develop technological solutions to address the challenges of operating marine autonomous vehicles in remote and exceptionally harsh environments.

You must show strong potential to progress from low to mid technology readiness levels.

You must be:

- based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding

- in a role that meets the individual eligibility requirements

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £250,000. We will fund 80% of the FEC.

Funding is available for up to 18 months. You must start by 1 May 2027.

What we're looking for Scope

This funding opportunity forms part of the broader strategic focus and investment by UKRI in understanding the environmental impacts of the increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean (IfAO) and harnessing cutting-edge marine autonomous capabilities to deliver solutions to urgent environmental challenges.

This funding opportunity is part of UKRI’s Ice free Arctic Ocean programme, funded as part of the Climate Adaptation and Environmental Resilience priority area, that will work closely with Government and other end users, to develop strong outcomes and impacts that will increase predictive capability and operational capacity, thereby building resilience and security for the UK.

The programme’s activities will also, where appropriate, be delivered with strong international partnerships, particularly with researchers and institutions in Norway leveraging opportunities arising from the aligned activities of the Arctic Ocean 2050 programme.

The Arctic Ocean is experiencing rapid climate change, with some sub-regions warming at least four times the global average. The most obvious effects are the decline in the extent and volume of seasonal…