About the event
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is developing two funding opportunities to support Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS), as part of its £28 million Ultra-Long Duration Energy Storage Challenge.
Join the briefing webinar on 28 October to learn about the competitions, understand the requirements and connect with potential project partners.
The webinar will cover the scope and requirements of both competitions, expected outcomes and the application process, with opportunities to ask questions and build consortia.
Innovate UK Business Connect will support networking and consortium building, helping organisations identify potential collaborators and develop strong applications.
About the competitions
UHS Collaborative Testing and Validation
Supporting the development and validation of critical technologies for safe, reliable and cost-effective underground hydrogen storage, including materials, compressors, metering, monitoring, testing and certification.
UHS DEVEX
Supporting projects to develop commercially credible, investment-ready demonstrator propositions, targeting initial MWh-scale deployment by 2030 and a pathway towards GWh-scale deployment by 2035.
Who should attend?
Businesses, SMEs, universities, research organisations, RTOs, technology developers, infrastructure owners and operators, and organisations working across hydrogen storage, materials, engineering, testing, monitoring, hydrogen supply and commercialisation are encouraged to attend.
Applicant surgeries
Following the webinar, dedicated surgeries will provide opportunities to ask competition-specific questions and clarify requirements as you develop your proposal.
Key dates
- Competitions open: 23 October 2026
- Competition briefing webinar: 28 October 2026, 11:00-12:30
- UHS Collaborative R&D surgery: 3 November 2026, 11:00-12:30 (including an opportunity to pitch)
- UHS Project Development Studies surgery: 5 November 2026, 11:00-12:00
- Competitions close: 13 January 2027, 11:00
B2Match Partnering platform
Innovate UK Business Connect has launched a dedicated B2Match partnering platform to support prospective applicants with partnership development and consortium building for these competitions.
What can you do on the platform?
Post on the marketplace
Share information about your project idea, outline what you need help with, or describe the types of connections you’re hoping to make.
Message individuals directly
Prefer one-to-one contact? No problem! Reach out to people directly to see if you’d be a good match to work together.
Book a session with a potential collaborator
These sessions are designed to help you quickly assess each other’s interests and expertise, identify common goals, and uncover synergies.
The platform is open to everyone interesting in these competitions, and not exclusive to those attending one of the event. You can sign up directly using the link below.
Accessibility and Inclusion
We are committed to ensuring our events are accessible for all.
If you experience any barriers to registering, for any reason, please contact us by email: enquiries@iukbc.org.uk or phone: +44 03333 403250 and we will support your registration.