Competition for funding
Energy game changer
REGISTER BY
4 May
2016
Technical
Feasibility Studies
Competition for funding
Innovate UK is to invest up to £1.5 million in technical feasibility studies to encourage
new entrants to the energy sector and stimulate the adoption of disruptive technologies.
The aim of this competition is to find
innovative solutions to long-standing
challenges faced by the energy
sector. We believe that gamechanging technologies can solve
these problems, either by the
development of completely new
ideas or through technology transfer
from other sectors. We are therefore
seeking proposals that are led by
innovative SMEs, which can provide
disruptive solutions to the challenges
that are in the scope of the
competition.
In order to encourage novel and
radical solutions, projects must be led
by an SME whose main business lies
outside the energy sector. They can
work alone or collaboratively with
partners of any size from any sector.
Small businesses could receive up to
70% of their eligible project costs,
medium-sized businesses up to 60%
and large business partners up to
50%. We expect projects to last 6 to
12 months and to range in size from
total costs of £25,000 to £100,000,
although we may consider projects
outside this range.
The competition opens on
28 March 2016 and the deadline
for video submissions is at noon
on 11 May 2016.
An information webinar will be
held on 11 December 2015 and
consortium-building workshops
will take place in early 2016. There
will be a briefing event for potential
applicants in London on 6 April 2016.
Background
The energy sector is one of the most
highly regulated, capital-intensive and
conservative industrial sectors in the
world, with new technologies invariably
taking 10 years or more to get to market.
The sector has to meet stringent
regulations related to design codes,
health and safety, environment and
planning, as well as challenges around
public acceptance and government
policy, making it risk averse and reluctant
to be a first adopter of technology.
This energy game changer competition
is seeking to develop disruptive
technologies or business models that will
drive innovation in the sector. We are
calling upon SMEs outside the energy
sector to consider the challenges in
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different ways, develop unique solutions
or adapt existing technologies from
other sectors. We are purposely seeking
proposals that are not constrained by
current thinking, methods or regulations;
rather, we are seeking innovations that
may ultimately change regulations.
Working with the energy sector, we have
selected challenges from three highly
regulated areas: oil and gas, nuclear, and
energy systems. Each challenge costs
the industry hundreds of millions of
pounds a year and solving them could
offer significant UK and global market
opportunities and spin out benefits to
other sectors.
Scope
This competition will fund projects led by
SMEs whose main business lies outside
the energy sector.
We particularly encourage applications
from businesses engaged in, but not
limited to, inspection, ICT, digital,
sensors, virtual reality, gaming, robotics,
autonomous systems, advanced
materials and manufacturing.
We also welcome technology transfer
proposals from other sectors, such as
defence, aerospace, automotive,
Energy game changer
telecommunications, forensics, medical,
space and creative industries.
We are looking for radical, innovative and
cost-effective ideas that contribute
completely, or in part, to solving any of
the following challenges in oil and gas,
nuclear or energy systems.
1. Taking inspection to the limit
Inspection, characterisation and clean-up
of buildings, vessels and components
operating in aggressive (eg explosive,
radioactive, subsea or high-temperature)
environments in the energy industry is a
time-consuming, hazardous and
expensive operation.
We are seeking innovative technologies
that can be deployed either in buildings,
process vessels or components to:
• accurately locate, identify and
characterise defects, debris, objects
and layout without human entry
• remove debris, decontaminate and
transfer waste without direct human
intervention
• accurately locate, characterise and
potentially repair areas of corrosion
under insulation on pipelines and
vessels without breaching the
insulation
2. Dealing with data
The energy sector produces and
processes significant amounts of data
every second, but currently, this is not
done in an optimal way. ‘Big data’ and its
analysis and visualisation could become a
game-changing technology for the
sector. We are seeking radical proposals
in the following areas:
• methods for integrating and analysing
diverse sets of data and information
from many sources to provide
decision-making tools and virtual
environments to help with planning
inspection, installation or
decommissioning campaigns prior
to or during deployment
• development and deployment of a
high-speed data communications
system that can transmit and analyse
real-time data from beneath the
seabed during oil and gas drilling
operations from depths of up to
6,000 metres
and consumers in a secure way, which
can be used to predict and optimise the
management of energy supply and
demand, particularly at local
community levels
3. Engaging in energy
The supply of energy is often taken for
granted. Although costs are a major
concern to consumers, getting them
actively engaged in efficient use of
energy and reducing bills is difficult.
We are therefore seeking different,
innovative and exciting ways of engaging
energy users of all types and all ages in
reducing their energy bills. We are
particularly seeking proposals for easily
adoptable technology innovation or
business models, which will:
• change people’s perception of and
behaviour towards energy, and make
the importance of saving energy easy
to understand, visible, tangible and
compulsive to all energy users
• optimise users’ energy systems in
order to minimise bills without
impacting comfort or reliability
• encourage roll-out of local energy
systems (heat and power) in a noninvasive way, with minimal disruption
to homes, businesses, communities and
existing energy networks
More details and examples of the
challenges can be found in the Guidance
for Applicants document for this
competition.
Out of scope
We will not fund projects that:
• do not directly address at least one of
the challenges
• have previously been unsuccessfully
trialled
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• collecting, processing and visualising
energy data from energy producers
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• are not highly innovative (but we
will consider proposals for novel
applications of existing technologies)
• do not provide a potential step change
in benefits
Funding allocation and project
details
We have allocated up to £1.5 million*
to fund technical feasibility studies (or
business models) in this competition.
Successful applicants can attract grant
funding towards their eligible project
costs. The percentage of costs that we
pay varies, depending on the type of
research being carried out and the size
and type of organisation involved.
Small businesses are eligible to receive
up to 70% of their project costs as grant,
medium-sized businesses up to 60% and
large business partners up to 50%. For
further information see http://interact.
innovateuk.org/funding-rules
We expect total project costs ranging
from £25,000 to £100,000, although we
may consider projects outside this range.
Projects should last 6 to 12 months.
Projects must be led by an SME whose
main business lies outside the energy
sector. The SME can work alone or
collaboratively with partners from any
sector and of any size. For more details
on eligibility, see the Guidance for
Applicants document.
To find out if your business fits the EU
definition of an SME, see: http://ec.
europa.eu/growth/smes/businessfriendly-environment/sme-definition/
index_en.htm
* Please note that Innovate UK funding is
subject to the result of the Government
Spending Review in autumn 2015.
Each partner in a
project can receive funding
towards their project costs – the
funding is a percentage of the total
eligible project costs and varies,
depending on the size and type of
organisation and the type of research.
For general guidance see:
https://interact.innovateuk.org/
funding-rules or watch our video
(https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=cExDpxTL8JY)
Competition for funding
Application process
This is a 3-stage competition that opens
for applicants on 28 March 2016.
Stage 1 – Video submission
Applicants submit a brief application
form and a 2-minute video describing
their ideas.
The video should address:
• the challenge or opportunity being
tackled and why it is important
• the approach that will be taken
and how it is innovative
• how the solution will be
commercialised and what impact
it could have if successful
• why Innovate UK funding is needed
The deadline for video submissions is
noon on 11 May 2016. Videos will remain
confidential, but they will be seen by
expert assessors who will review the
ideas described in them and select
a shortlist based upon how well they
address the challenges in scope.
Stage 2 – Written proposal
The top-ranking applicants will be
shortlisted and invited to submit a
written proposal. The deadline for
written proposals is noon on 7 July 2016.
Stage 3 – Pitch session
Following assessment of the written
application forms, top-ranking applicants
will be invited to present their ideas to a
panel of experts, who will make the final
selection. The pitch sessions will take
place between 5 September 2016 and
7 September 2016.
Key dates
Competition opens
28 March 2016
Briefing event
6 April 2016
Registration deadline
noon 4 May 2016
Deadline for video submissions
noon 11 May 2016
Deadline for invited written proposals
noon 7 July 2016
Pitch sessions
5–7 September 2016
held in London on 6 April 2016 to
highlight the main features of the
competition and to explain the
application process. Applicants are
strongly recommended to attend.
Note: all deadlines are at noon.
More information
For more information and all the
documents you need to read before you
apply, including the Guidance for
Applicants, go to the web page for this
competition by using the search function
at https://interact.innovateuk.org/ or
watch our applications process video
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
S-rnSpIMiPc)
To apply you must first register with us
through the competition page on the
website. Registration opens when the
competition opens and closes a week
before the deadline for applications.
Publicity
As part of the application process all
applicants are asked to submit a public
description of the project. This should
adequately describe the project but not
disclose any information that may impact
on intellectual property, is confidential or
commercially sensitive. The titles of
successful projects, names of
organisations, amounts awarded and the
public description will be published once
the decision to offer an award has been
communicated to applicants by email.
Information about unsuccessful project
applications will remain confidential and
will not be made public. Email
[email protected] with
any queries.
Get help to understand the future
market for your innovation before you
apply at http://horizons.innovateuk.org
Competition
helpline:
0300 321 4357
Applicants will be informed of the
results of their applications on
16 September 2016.
Email:
support@
innovateuk.
gov.uk
An information webinar will be held on
11 December 2015 and consortiumbuilding workshops in early 2016. A
briefing for potential applicants will be
Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. Innovate UK works with people, companies and partner
organisations to find and drive the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy –
delivering productivity, new jobs and exports. Our aim at Innovate UK is to keep the UK globally competitive
in the race for future prosperity.
Follow us on
Innovate UK is the trading name of the Technology Strategy Board, which is an executive non-departmental
public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and incorporated by
Royal Charter in England and Wales with company number RC000818. Registered office: North Star House,
North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1UE.
Telephone: 01793 442 700
Email: [email protected]
www.innovateuk.gov.uk
© Technology Strategy Board December 2015
C15/CB006. Printed on 100% recycled paper.
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