Danish Shipping established with Maritime innovation new partnership and shortens the path to EU funding

September 23, 2026

Denmark’s maritime sector needs to become better at securing EU funding. Danish Maritime and Danish Shipping, in collaboration with ShippingLab, are establishing a new platform that will make it easier to match the needs and expertise of Denmark’s maritime sector with relevant EU funding opportunities. The aim is to accelerate the development of promising ideas and foster new partnerships.

The green transition of shipping requires significant investment in new technologies, fuels and infrastructure.

EU funding programmes offer opportunities to apply for co-financing for projects developing the maritime technologies of the future. Danish shipping companies and the Danish maritime industry need to become much better at making use of these opportunities. This requires collaboration and coordination. That is where the new maritime partnership being launched by Danish Maritime and Danish Shipping comes in.

“The green transition of shipping is well under way. Shipping companies are investing, and new solutions are finding their way on board vessels. Now we need to build on this positive development and bring more technologies to scale. We need to become much better at making use of the funding opportunities already available through the EU. That will benefit both the climate and the competitiveness of Danish shipping,” says Nina Porst, Executive Director of Sustainable Ships & Skills at Danish Shipping.

We need to become much better at making use of the funding opportunities already available through the EU. That will benefit both the climate and the competitiveness of Danish shipping

Nina Porst, Executive Director of Sustainable Ships & Skills at Danish Shipping

The opportunities are there, but the journey from a strong idea to a competitive European project is often complex and resource-intensive, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. There is therefore a need to take an earlier and more strategic approach to project development, funding and partnerships.

“The maritime industry is one of Denmark’s global strengths. This is due in no small part to companies’ ability to develop new technologies and turn innovation into practical solutions that are in demand around the world. If we are to maintain this leading position, we need to build even stronger partnerships across Denmark’s maritime sector and invest together in the solutions that will shape the future of shipping,” says Jenny N. Braat, CEO of Danish Maritime.

ShippingLab

ShippingLab is a non-profit collaboration platform dedicated to accelerating innovation in the maritime industry. ShippingLab will be responsible for building the necessary capacity and working more closely with relevant authorities and industry stakeholders. The initiative will provide strategic matchmaking and early screening of ideas and calls for proposals, improve the timing and quality of applications, and facilitate the consortia and partnerships needed to make projects competitive at European level. The partnership is supported by The Danish Maritime Fund.

Partnership Summits

One of the first concrete steps will be the Partnership Summits, bringing together stakeholders from across Denmark’s maritime sector to address challenges and opportunities with the potential to develop into joint innovation projects. The aim is to match the sector’s needs and expertise with relevant funding opportunities, enabling promising ideas to be developed and taken forward more quickly. The summits will provide a setting in which new ideas and partnerships can emerge and mature.

The format will be launched with the same programme at two locations in Denmark: on 20 October in the Copenhagen area and on 11 November in Jutland. The first two Partnership Summits will focus on electrification and energy efficiency, as well as decarbonisation and carbon capture. Participants will hear about Danish and European innovation projects and gain insight into relevant funding opportunities.

Growth Team for Blue Denmark

The initiative builds on the recommendations made by the Growth Team for Blue Denmark in 2025. These highlighted easier access to new forms of financing and an increase in the amount of EU maritime funding secured by Danish stakeholders as key to innovation, green investment and international competitiveness.

The ambition is for the industry to make greater use of the EU’s competitive funding programmes to develop new financing solutions that can support investment in the green transition of shipping. At the same time, the joint initiative supports the government platform’s ambition to combine progress in the green transition with increased competitiveness.