Competition offers £75,000 grant to develop innovations for Belfast Harbour

  • A new competition run by Techstart and Belfast Harbour will give one local tech startup a £75,000 grant to develop new tech solutions for the harbour.

    Belfast Harbour is looking for new technology-based solutions to help support employees at the port, with a specific focus on supporting lone workers and integrating IoT devices into the port. Tech start-ups in Northern Ireland have been invited to submit ideas for solutions that can deliver value to Belfast Harbour in a new competition.

    The winner of the competition will get a £75,000 proof of concept grant to explore the tech idea, access to Belfast Harbour to build and test the technology, and a support package from BT that includes access to its 5G network. Applicants should be pre-commercial start-up teams or individuals, who would benefit from a working understanding of Belfast Harbour and existing tech solutions on the market.

    Potential ideas under the lone worker umbrella include solutions based on tracking workers, biometrics, or improving safety of lone workers. Ideas on the IoT side should focus on industrial applications in areas such as productivity, equipment maintenance, asset tracking, or health and safety.

    Trevor Anderson from Belfast Harbour commented: "Our 2035 vision set out our goals to become a smart port and to support the development of the local economy through partnerships that encourage R&D, introduce new skills and support innovative businesses. Belfast Harbour is seeking to engage with SMEs in the local knowledge economy to deliver world-class solutions for the operation and control of the Port’s activities. We are inviting applications with a particular focus on the areas of lone working and industrial IoT as we feel that these areas offer real scope to employ innovative concepts."

    Head over to https://www.techstartgrants.com/75k-competition to apply for the competition or register for a spot in the competition's information session on September 23rd at https://techstart75kgrantcompetiton.eventbrite.co.uk for more information.

    Source: Written based on press release

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    Brendan is a Sync NI writer with a special interest in the gaming sector, programming, emerging technology, and physics. To connect with Brendan, feel free to send him an email or follow him on Twitter.

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