Net Zero Heat Innovation Lab Competition

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Innovate UK Net Zero Heat programme launches Design Engineering Innovation Lab competition

The Net Zero Heat programme is overcoming barriers to enable a faster roll-out of decarbonised heat for buildings and a part of the programme is this Design Engineering Innovation Lab competition that will invest up to £8.5 million in innovation projects.

The aim of the Innovation Lab is to generate innovative and commercially viable new ideas to make the building renovation delivery process more efficient, effective, and lower cost. Particular focus of this Innovation Lab is ensuring Net Zero aims are met through a just transition, ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in all approaches to net zero heat in buildings.

This competition is split into 3 stages:

• Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EoI) in attending the Innovation Lab (this stage). Recording and the Q&A of the briefing held on the 20th April can be found above.
• Stage 2: Participation in all 5 days of the Innovation Lab (18th and 22nd September 2023)
• Stage 3: Selected proposals developed at the Innovation Lab will be invited to apply for funding to undertake a collaborative research and development project

To complete Stage 1 and register your interest, click here. Deadline 11am on 31st May.

Please note – There is no grant award provided for this EoI Stage. Selected proposals designed at the Design Engineering Innovation Lab and subsequently invited to Stage 3 are expected to have total grant request between £1.5 million and £5 million.

Successful applicants from Stage 1 will be invited to collaborate with others over 5 days (Stage 2) and develop innovative projects that will be pitched to Innovate UK on the last day. The best ideas will then be invited to apply for Stage 3.

To expand the diversity of knowledge at the Innovation Lab, Innovate UK are looking for organisations that are not typically associated with the heating or building renovation sector. Such organisations may include, but are not limited to, those active in:

• Consumer Groups – user-centred design, consumer and sector finance, housing and energy policy, justice and equality, law and regulations
• Third Sector and Housing Providers – providers of social services and facilities third sector organisations working with vulnerable people, owners of portfolios of buildings, skills and training providers
• Manufacturer and Technology Developers – automotive, robotics, manufacturing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, remote sensing and computer vision
• Solution Providers – net zero technology and solution providers, construction professionals, building performance evaluation professionals
• Agencies of relevance to making an important contribution to the net-zero mission

Project proposals developed at the Innovation Lab must centre on the following:

• a just transition, ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in all approaches to net zero heat in buildings
• delivery of substantial upgrading of building portfolios
• targeting decarbonisation of the whole system
• delivery of approaches at scale
• solutions demonstrated on real developments

Your proposed project can also focus on one or more of the following:

• delivery of energy demand reduction
• delivery of market demand certainty
• delivery of heat efficiency
• delivery of cost reductions for systemised deep renovation
• building upgrades for heat demand reduction that are faster to do and easier to initiate through using data, automation, AI and machine learning, Building Information Modelling (BIM), computer vision, off-site manufacturing to improve renovation and heating upgrade processes
• utilise modular in design with common interfaces and open architectures, and follow all appropriate industrial standards and system engineering principles

If you/your organisation can support a project, but are unable to attend we will be hosting a curated directory for the Design Engineering Innovation Lab participants of the Design Engineering Innovation Lab, please complete this form if you would like to be considered to join the Innovation Lab Directory.

If you have any questions about this competition, please contact Mike Moseley or Nilam Banks.

Net Zero Heat Design Engineering Innovation Lab Directory

The Innovate UK Heat program Design Engineering Innovation Lab aims to generate innovative and commercially viable new ideas to make the building renovation delivery process more efficient, effective, and lower cost. Particular focus of this Innovation Lab is ensuring Net Zero aims are met through a just transition, ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in all approaches to net zero heat in buildings.

The Lab will be residential, run from the 18th – 23rd September and will be limited to 40 participants.

The formal Expression of Interest to attend the Lab (a competitive process run through the Innovation Funding Service) is here.

We recognise that with 40 attendees it is unlikely that all the required expertise will be in the room. Additionally a 5-day residential activity is quite a time commitment for some organisations we would like to be involved. Therefore, we are inviting people to add their details and organisation “offer” to the Lab Directory.

With this Directory we are collecting information about what your organisation does, what you can offer and why you would like to be involved in the Innovation Lab. The Directory will be accessible to the Innovation Lab participants during the project development period. If situations arise where skills or expertise is needed which is not in the room, the Lab Directory can be used by attendees to “‘phone a friend”.

Important things to note.

• The Lab Directory is delivered by Innovate UK KTN via a secure collaboration platform. No personal contact information will be shared
• Only relevant organisations will be invited to be part of the Lab Directory, applying does not guarantee inclusion. We will review Directory applications approximately every 2 weeks.
• The Directory is solely a resource to help expand the potential pool of expertise. Organisations participating in the Lab Directory may not be contacted or included as part of the Innovation Lab.
• Organisations do not need to be in the Directory to be contacted as part of the Lab process
• Only individuals / organisations selected through the formal Stage 1 EoI will attend the Lab in person

If you would like to be considered for the Lab Directory, sign up.