Deadline: 22-Oct-2025
Innovate UK in partnership with Ofgem has launched the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Round 5 Discovery C4 competition, offering up to £30 million for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that address Round 5 challenges.
The seven challenge areas in the Discovery Phase are Advanced energy transmission and networks, Dynamic modelling, High energy demand point integration, Consumer centric grid expansion, Enhanced system visibility and control, Green gas, and Whole system optimisation. Innovation Challenge focus themes include Advanced semiconductor technologies for power networks, Superconducting technologies for high efficiency transmission, Wireless power transmission for grid flexibility, Advanced grid simulation and optimisation, Control strategies for coordination and dispatch of flexible resources, Improving demand centre energy forecasting and understanding load growth, Implementing flexibility and efficiency strategies to reduce grid impact, Accelerating grid connections and infrastructure scaling, Scalable technical innovations for grid expansion, Community engagement and public acceptance strategies, Advanced monitoring and automated grid control, Enhancing control room operations, Network integration and infrastructure readiness, System flexibility and balancing, Storage and injection management, Whole system modelling and scenario analysis, and Development and demonstration of high impact multivector configurations. All projects must also contribute to key cross cutting areas: customer focussed, scalability and replicability, data and digitalisation, shared learning, skills and capability, supply chains, and resilience.
The Discovery Phase is the first step in a three-phase process that progresses to Alpha and Beta, with each stage designed to refine and test solutions before large-scale demonstration. This competition is open to collaborative applications only, led by Ofgem licensed gas or electricity network operators working with at least one project partner.
Eligible projects must request no more than £150,000 in funding, exclusive of VAT, and provide a minimum 10% contribution from private funds. Projects must start after 1 January 2026, end by 31 May 2026, and be delivered within five months.
Specific partner requirements vary depending on the challenge theme, with opportunities for research institutions, technology providers, SMEs, consumer organisations, and other innovators to participate. Projects are expected to deliver measurable benefits such as cost reduction, emissions reduction, access to new revenues, and the introduction of innovative products, processes, and services to the UK energy market.
Applications will be assessed competitively, and successful Discovery Phase projects will be invited to apply for the Alpha Phase. Any adoption or implementation of solutions developed will be subject to separate procurement exercises.
For more information, visit GOV.UK.