Singapore and Norway Put $3.5M Behind Greener Shipping Research

Singapore and Norway have committed up to S$2.7 million ($2.11 million) and NOK 20 million respectively to a joint research grant call aimed at decarbonizing international shipping. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Research Council of Norway (RCN) and the Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) launched the call on Thursday, according to an MPA statement.

The call pairs Singapore's and Norway's maritime innovation ecosystems — their research bases, technology players and industry capabilities — to tackle shared technological and operational challenges in shipping. MPA said the goal is to develop solutions applicable across international shipping, not just within the two countries' own fleets and ports.

What are the three research priorities?

The grant call focuses on three areas:

• Alternative fuels and energy infrastructure. Projects here will improve the safety and handling of alternative marine fuels, develop bunkering and fuel storage technologies, and advance charging infrastructure for electric vessels.
• Vessel energy efficiency and emissions reduction. This track covers technologies that improve vessel performance, optimize onboard energy consumption and cut fuel use.
• Digitalization and greener shipping operations. Work will advance voyage optimization, just-in-time arrivals, autonomous operations and ship-port data exchange to raise operational efficiency and lower emissions.

The spread is deliberately practical. Bunkering and fuel handling sit near the top of the decarbonization bottleneck list for port operators, while just-in-time arrival schemes and ship-port data exchange attack the fuel wasted by vessels queuing at anchor before berth slots open.

How much money is on the table?

SMI will provide up to S$2.7 million ($2.11 million) for Singapore-based research partners. RCN will make up to NOK 20 million available for Norwegian research partners.

There are strings attached to structure. Every proposal must involve research institutions and industry partners from both countries — a requirement MPA framed as ensuring the research addresses practical industry needs rather than staying in the lab. Selected projects may receive funding for up to four years.

Where did this partnership come from?

The grant call builds on the MPA-RCN memorandum of understanding signed in April 2024, which covered maritime research, development, education and training.

It is also the third Singapore–Norway joint research grant call. Earlier calls in 2015 and 2018 supported four research projects in maritime energy efficiency, emissions reduction and emerging technologies, MPA said.

That track record matters for applicants weighing the odds. The bilateral program has run roughly once per funding cycle rather than annually, so the current window represents a comparatively rare opening for cross-border consortia in maritime decarbonization.

Why does the structure matter?

The dual-country funding design means each side backs its own researchers, but no project proceeds without partners on both ends. For Singapore, the call extends a port authority that has positioned itself at the center of green and digital shipping corridors — a push that has already produced a separate collaboration with Brazil on green and digital shipping links.

For Norway, the partnership plugs RCN funding into one of the world's largest bunkering hubs, giving Norwegian maritime technology firms a live testing environment for alternative fuels and vessel electrification.

The four-year funding ceiling gives selected consortia room to move beyond feasibility work into demonstration. With shipping under growing pressure to cut emissions across international trade lanes, the results of this call will feed directly into how alternative fuels, efficient vessel operations and digital port coordination scale across the industry.