News story

Business funding for innovation in integrated energy systems

Opportunities for businesses to find new ways of achieving a low-carbon economy across energy networks.

Hobs burning propane gas with a blue flame

Innovate UK is planning to invest up to £9.5 million in innovations to address the need for a diverse mix of energy sources and systems over the next three decades and beyond.

The aim is to encourage cross-sector supply chains that can deliver integrated energy solutions at different scales. This will help the UK meet the many energy systems challenges around achieving a low-carbon economy by 2050.

This is a two-stage competition with a first stage of feasibility studies. Up to three projects will then be chosen for follow-on collaborative research and development (R&D). At each stage, projects must be led by a business.

We expect total eligible costs for feasibility studies projects to be no more than £40,000. Feasibility studies are expected to last up to three months. We plan to commit up to £9 million for the collaborative R&D projects in the second stage. Each consortium must involve at least one SME.

The first stage of this competition (feasibility studies) opens on 5 January 2015. The deadline for registration is at noon on 11 February 2015.

The second stage (collaborative R&D) is by invitation and is expected to open on 7 September 2015.

A briefing event for potential applicants at the feasibility stage will be held in Birmingham on 15 January 2015.

Published 19 December 2014