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Eligibility

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Applications for our 2024 cohort are now closed.

Are you a forward-thinking founder with new ideas that can help unlock the next generation of net zero technologies? We want to hear from you.

Register your interest to receive the latest updates on our next cohort.

You must be developing a technology that aligns with one of our focus areas.

CRITERIA

  • 1

    Have a novel technology within scope

    Applicants must be developing a novel clean energy technology which is fully owned by the start-up.

  • 2

    Be pre-commercial, TRL 2-6

    The technology that the applicant company is applying with must be at a technology readiness level (TRL) of between 2 (early-stage technology concept) and 6 (technology prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment). You can still apply if your company has other technologies that are at a higher TRL, but the technology you apply with must be TRL 2-6.

  • 3

    Create impact

    All technologies accepted to the programme need to have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. TechX focuses on technologies with industrial applications. Technologies solely with commercial or residential applications are out of scope.

  • 4

    Actively participate & demonstrate commitment

    All start-ups must commit to actively participating in the programme for the full 15 weeks with at least one member of the team attending all required sessions and meetings. This will include travelling to Aberdeen for three in-person weeks, participating in regular online workshops based on a GMT time zone, and being available from Monday to Thursday for the full programme.

  • 5

    Deploy in the UK

    All start-ups must have ambitions to deploy their technologies or create economic impact in the North East of Scotland and the wider UK. The programme accepts start-ups from around the world, but they will need to set up a UK company and articulate how they plan to benefit the UK.

  • 6

    Be eligible for funding

    All start-ups must meet the requirements under the Subsidy Control Act (2022) to be able to claim funding. The TechX funding of £100k must not result in the company exceeding the Minimal Financial Assistance threshold over the last 3 year period.

  • 7

    Have not applied to TechX more than three times

    Start-ups must not have applied to the TechX Accelerator more than three times with the same technology.

Technology focus area 1

CCUS & carbon removal solutions

  • Carbon capture (including Direct Air Capture and Direct Ocean Capture)
  • Carbon dioxide utilisation (synthetic fuels, green chemicals, food & drink, long duration solutions such as building materials, other industry)
  • Carbon dioxide transportation and storage , including efficiencies in the carbon dioxide value chain

Technology focus area 2

Low carbon hydrogen

  • Production of zero or low-carbon hydrogen (e.g. green, blue, turquoise); natural hydrogen
  • Hydrogen transport and storage
  • Utilisation of zero or low-carbon hydrogen to replace fossil fuels (excluding transport applications)

Technology focus area 3

Alternative fuels and green chemicals

  • E-fuels and sustainable fuels (for aviation, maritime and heavy goods road transport applications)
  • Low carbon power trains for transport applications (excluding passenger road vehicles)
  • Power-to-X
  • Industrial fuel switching technologies
  • Green ammonia and methanol production, transport and storage
  • Green ammonia and methanol utilisation (excluding transport applications)
  • Other green chemical production
  • Low carbon sources of key metals and minerals for the transition (e.g. battery metals), including deep sea

Note that this area does not cover zero or low-carbon passenger road vehicles, including charging infrastructure.

Technology focus area 4

Renewable power

  • Offshore renewable power
    • Offshore wind
    • Wave and tidal
    • Offshore geothermal, including reuse of existing wells and the technologies required to do this (e.g. self-sealing cement), and extraction of key metals and minerals from geothermal brine
    • Floating solar
    • Repurposing of existing offshore infrastructure to generate zero carbon power
    • Offshore energy storage and network infrastructure
  • Onshore renewable power
    • Onshore wind
    • Onshore solar PV
    • Onshore geothermal including reuse of existing wells and the technologies required to do this (e.g. self-sealing cement), and extraction of key metals and minerals from geothermal brine
    • Onshore energy storage and network infrastructure, including batteries, and transmission and distribution network technologies

Note that this area does not cover domestic or commercial building applications, and other non-industrial applications.

Technology focus area 5

Digital solutions

  • Ocean data handling for offshore renewables
  • Digital twins (creation of models and connection to physical assets), including industrial heat
  • Applications of data science (broadly termed as AI), including generative AI
  • Distributed ledger applications
  • Applications of satellite imagery and telemetry
  • Robotics – with a focus on sustainable robotics
  • Unmanned vessels, including subsea
  • Drones – long range, including hydrogen
  • Monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) for carbon removal, including carbon storage in nature based solutions (e.g. enhanced rock weathering)
  • Digital solutions for Technology Focus Areas 1-4 and 6 (CCUS & carbon removal solutions, low-carbon hydrogen, alternative fuels and green chemicals, renewable power, decarbonised industrial heat and cooling technologies, other)

Technology focus area 6

Decarbonised industrial heat and cooling technologies, and other

  • Industrial solar thermal technologies
  • Decarbonised industrial & process heat generation, transportation, usage and storage technologies (including offshore applications)
  • Decarbonised industrial cooling technologies (including offshore applications)
  • Use of waste heat
  • Flaring and venting mitigation
  • Methane leak detection and mitigation

Note that this area does not cover domestic or commercial building applications, and other non-industrial applications