To lead a project as a solution provider your organisation must be a UK registered:

• micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME)
• academic institution
• research and technology organisation (RTO)
• community interest company (CIC) or charity

Subcontractors are allowed in this competition

Subcontractors can be from anywhere in the UK and you must select them through your usual procurement process.

Your project must:

• have a grant funding request of up to £25,000
• last for three months
• Not start before 1st June 2026
• Must end by 31st March 2027

Any funded organisation needs to carry out their project work in the UK and must intend to exploit the project results from or in the UK.

Applications will be assessed on:

• Relevance to the defined challenge
• Benefit of implementation
• Feasibility/economic viability
• Innovative nature
• Ability to launch in line with expected timescales
• Credibility of applicant company
• Coherence of the proposed business model
• Development potential
• Maturity of the solution
• Suitability for the intended geographic market

• Challenge launch: 24th March 2026
• Deadline for applications: 28th April 2026
• Selection and notification of finalists: 19th May 2026
• Pitch Days: 26th & 27th May 2026
• Confirm selected solution provider: 2nd June 2026
• Submission to Innovation Funding Service (IFS): 8th June 2026
• Project length: 3 months and/or anticipated project completion by September

Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to pitch to CWM Environmental Ltd. The winning applicant, as selected by the company, will then be eligible to apply for £25k grant funding to kickstart the development of the proposed solution through a 3 month project.

The benefits package for a successful applicant may also include:

• Pitch directly to the Challenge Holder
• Apply for £25,000 to develop and pilot the solution
• Receive support from Innovate UK Business Connect
• Access technical support and feedback
• Gain visibility across the Innovate UK network
• Build a potential long-term commercial partnership with the Challenge Holder

Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Solution Provider(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the solution provider(s) and challenge holder.

Any commercial deployment of a transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership, or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder.

Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the solution provider(s) and challenge holder. (This would be expected to be after company selection, it is suggested that details of IP be not disclosed, focus on the outcomes of the technology proposed).

Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect do not take any share of IP ownership or enter commercial ventures through the iX programme.

Functional requirements

Proposed approaches should demonstrate how they could enable hydrogen separation and utilisation within a pilot‑scale waste‑to‑hydrogen environment, recognising the operational constraints and opportunities of small and modular facilities.

Solutions should be capable of:

• Operating effectively at low gas flow rates, representative of pilot‑scale systems (currently ~35 kg/hour, with potential future operation up to ~170 kg/hour)
• Managing variable syngas compositions, reflecting changes in waste feedstock and operating conditions
• Functioning within low‑pressure, pilot‑scale environments, without reliance on industrial‑scale compression or continuous operation assumptions
• Supporting intermittent operation, including start‑up and shut‑down cycles typical of R&D and pilot facilities
• Being modular or adaptable in nature, with a credible pathway to replication or deployment across multiple small or decentralised sites
• Demonstrating practical integration potential with existing pilot infrastructure, including space, interfaces, and operational constraints
• Being designed with cost‑effectiveness, simplicity, and manufacturability in mind, recognising the economic sensitivities of small‑scale deployments
• Minimising physical footprint and system complexity where possible, to support installation within constrained pilot facilities

Proposals should clearly articulate how the approach addresses the limitations of existing large‑scale hydrogen separation solutions in this context, and how it could improve the feasibility, flexibility, or performance of hydrogen recovery at pilot scale.

Technical requirements

Proposals should demonstrate a technically credible approach to enabling hydrogen separation from pilot‑scale waste‑derived syngas streams, supported by appropriate analysis, modelling, or validation activities.

Approaches should be capable of:

• Addressing separation of hydrogen from mixed syngas streams, typically containing hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide
• Operating under pilot‑scale conditions, including:
  • Low operating pressures – conditions comparable to commercial systems, but at significantly lower flow rates (30-170kg/h vs 1300 kg/h)
  • Moderate temperatures typical of treated and cooled syngas streams
  • Variable gas composition and quality
• Demonstrating technical feasibility through appropriate methods such as modelling, simulation, process analysis, laboratory data, or prior operational evidence
• Considering integration with existing pilot‑scale monitoring and gas analysis systems, including interfaces, data requirements, or operational compatibility
• Identifying and addressing hydrogen‑specific safety considerations, including material compatibility, containment, and safe operation within a hydrogen‑handling environment
• Providing a clear explanation of key technical assumptions, limitations, and performance expectations, appropriate to a design and verification‑focused project
• Outlining how the proposed approach could be adapted or scaled for deployment at other small or modular waste‑to‑hydrogen facilities, if successful

The challenge holder does not prescribe a single hydrogen purity requirement; however, applicants should clearly state their assumed hydrogen purity targets and intended end‑use scenarios within their proposed design.

A target purity of up to 99.999% (fuel‑cell quality) would be desirable. However, the challenge holder would also consider lower purity specifications aligned with ISO 14687 Hydrogen Fuel Quality standards, where this significantly reduces parasitic energy demand, system complexity, or cost.

Intended end use is expected to focus on proof‑of‑concept hydrogen supply at pilot scale, which may include direct supply to a user or supply via intermediate storage (e.g. tanks).

Proposals should focus on technical robustness and practicality at pilot scale.

Operational requirements

The solution must / should:

• Be suitable for installation and operation within an industrial pilot‑scale research facility
• Operate with mixed syngas streams generated from the pyrolysis of a range of waste feedstocks
• Be designed too perateunder low‑flow and low‑pressure conditions, typical of pilot‑scale waste‑to‑hydrogen systems
• Accommodate variable gas composition and intermittent operation, reflecting a non‑continuous R&D environment
• Operate at moderate temperatures (below 65 °C), consistent with treated syngas streams cooled via water quenching
• Be compatible with common syngas components, including hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, and consider the presence of trace impurities arising from waste‑derived feedstocks.
• Be designed to integrate with existing pilot infrastructure while remaining non‑invasive to core pyrolysis systems wherever possible.
• Be suitable for operation within an industrial hydrogen‑handling environment, incorporating appropriate safety and pressure system considerations.
• Allow for safe start‑up, shutdown, and testing procedures appropriate for pilot‑scale hydrogen separation and experimental operation.
• Comply with relevant safety, pressure, and materials standards, including consideration of hydrogen compatibility and risk management.
• Have a compact footprint, likely no larger than approximately 10” x 10”, although sensible and well‑justified solutions outside this envelope will be considered.
• The system would likely need to be located externally within the site yard, and applicants should consider environmental exposure, access, and integration implications within an outdoor industrial setting.
• The hydrogen separation solution may be integrated into the existing site power supply, and applicants should outline expected power requirements and any assumptions regarding electrical integration.
• The preferred configuration would be a freestanding, skid‑mounted system, allowing flexibility in positioning and minimising integration complexity with existing pilot infrastructure.

The application form for this challenge will require applicants to provide company information and answer 3 questions – Idea Summary, Technology Readiness and Intellectual Property – each with a limit of 300 words.

Additionally, the following documents must be attached for your application to be considered:

• Project plan
• Project costings – only eligible costs will be funded, please read the Innovate UK Costs guidance for further information

We recommend that you complete the application form in Google Chrome as other browsers may have compatibility issues. The application form does not need to be completed in one session and can be saved for future edits. Please ensure that you toggle “Stage Complete” for each section before submission. Note that you will no longer be able to edit your application once you have clicked “Submit Idea” at the bottom of the Summary page.