About Us
The Danish Maritime Fund is a commercial fund supporting the growth of the Danish maritime sector. We fund innovation projects that help shape and develop tomorrow’s shipping and maritime industries.
We focus on high-risk, forward-looking initiatives aiming to shape the future of the Danish maritime sector. Our goal is to help good ideas become reality. We also contribute to non-profit projects with the purpose of developing the Danish maritime sector and thereby creating jobs. Our efforts involve fostering collaboration between companies, educational institutions, and universities in the maritime sector. We focus on areas like digitization, automation, green transition, entrepreneurship, research, and development of maritime education.
We were established in 2005 and our primary financing for grants and loans derives from a 10% ownership of Danish Ship Finance.
What do we support?
We contribute to the growth of Denmark’s maritime sector by funding entrepreneurship and innovation projects, maritime business development, academic research and developing maritime education.
Seed funding for maritime Innovation
We provide financial support through seed funding for Danish maritime startups, scaleups, and innovation projects. This early funding aims to help good ideas become real solutions that strengthen Danish companies’ global standing in the maritime sector, positioning the country as a green and digital pioneer.
We support projects within four areas:
Business development
Optimization
Climate and environment
Health & Safety
It is possible to apply for up to 50% of your project budget even before minimum viable product phase. Loans are repayable within a three-year period in tranches per year. The application needs to be accompanied by a business plan documenting the market potential, a go-to-market strategy as well as the estimated expectations for market share, competitors and market barriers.
Support for Maritime Business Development, Education, and Research
Maritime Business Development
With grants we support conferences, events, campaigns, and political initiatives that contribute to the development of the Danish maritime sector. Our funding extends to general business development, including analytical studies that enhance the broader knowledge of the maritime sector.
Education and Recruitment
We support projects developing maritime education and enhancing recruitment strategies. We prioritize initiatives that strengthen the sector's ability to attract skilled people. We also support MBA scholarships for leaders in the Danish maritime sector.
Maritime Research
We support applied research projects in Denmark addressing current challenges in the maritime sector, such as the green transition, digitalization, automation, and overall business development. The results and output of these projects are expected to be shared widely within the sector for maximum benefit.
Projects we do not fund
We only support projects that can be attributed to Danish maritime business development. Below you can see a list of examples of what you cannot get financial support for from us:
- Projects unrelated to the Danish maritime industry and business
- Philanthropy (charitable activities with a non-profit purpose without expectation of financial gain)
- Sports activities or social purposes
- Historical purposes (including ship renovation) or book publishing
- Travel grants and study trips
- Projects within maritime leisure, fi. yachting
- Activities already initiated and associated costs incurred
Before applying
To apply for a loan for a business project, you must be registered in Denmark and have a CVR number.
Read more here (in Danish):
Regardless of the amount of funds you are applying for a project budget must be attached to all applications.
The budget must be intuitively understandable to outsiders and broken down so that we can make a direct comparison of the disbursement request and the project budget when the loan is disbursed. All amounts are stated in Danish kroner excluding VAT. The fund does not cover VAT.
You must upload a budget for your expected cash flow when you submit your application.
You must upload documentation of the ownership of the bank account to which the payment of any support is to be made. This can be, for example, a bank statement showing the account owner, registration and account number.
Do you have any questions before applying?
You are welcome to contact the Administration about questions and guidance before submitting the application. We are happy to receive a description of your project idea for review and provide comments before the formal application is received.
Find contact information for project managers here.
Ready to apply?
Click below to open the application form. Be aware that the form and application module is in Danish.