Energy

Innovate UK Business Connect’s Energy Team is at the centre of our work contributing to delivering the UK’s ambitious Net Zero targets. With specialists in Nuclear, Offshore Wind, Thermal Energy Systems, Batteries, Water, Hydrogen, Sustainable Energy, Grid and Distributed Systems, Electrical Energy Systems and Solar, the team has deep expertise, powerful connections and a track record of successful projects delivering environmental and societal impact.

The Energy Team aims to simplify the energy innovation landscape by providing rapid transfer of high-quality information on technologies, markets, funding and partnership opportunities. It supports businesses to decarbonise and increase energy efficiency, building on Innovate UK Business Connect’s longstanding record for work in environmental sustainability.

From a seat on the government’s Carbon Connect programme to working with Sellafield to find decontamination solutions, the team’s sector expertise is fundamental in the delivery of a variety of projects and in supporting government departments, large organisations and SMEs.

Innovate UK Business Connect has also supported three overseas missions to Canada, China, South Korea and Japan to establish the potential for UK companies to work in collaboration: from this we have a Memorandum of Understanding from a Japanese research centre and joint projects with the US.

Click here for a complete list of our open energy and sustainability funding opportunities.

Our current focus in this area

The Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network, co-founded by Innovate UK and the Faraday Battery Challenge, is a cross-sectoral and collaborative community of technology developers and end-users.

Innovate UK Business Connect is working with ENGIE through the Innovation Exchange programme to support the Clean Growth Innovation Fund on a number of themes around electrical energy systems.

Innovate UK Hydrogen Innovation Network is a non-competitive advisory group to pool knowledge from existing Hydrogen communities and validate views on the current challenges to enabling low-carbon Hydrogen production at scale and cost.

Innovate UK Innovation Exchange is a cross-sector programme supporting innovation transfer by matching industry challenges to innovative companies from other sectors. It does this by putting large businesses with technical needs in contact with companies who have the right innovative solutions, for faster development of novel solutions.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports activities across the nuclear landscape including existing generation, new build and decommissioning and waste management. There are also strong links with the fusion energy community.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the offshore wind industry as a major contributor to the ORE Catapult innovation hub funded by BEIS, as well as supporting the companies who are making applications for funding for offshore renewables.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the SuperSolar Network Plus with the Head of Infrastructure acting as Chair to the Network Industrial Advisory Group. Through this group, and programmes such as Energy Catalyst as described above, we are actively brokering B2B and B2A linkages.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the heating and cooling industries in the UK including the electrification of heat (heat pumps, storage heaters, dry heating systems), heat networks (infrastructure, heat exchangers, heat network optimisation) and low carbon gases (hydrogen, biogas and other green gases).

Related Opportunities

Mentoring Programme for the UK Battery Sector

Opens: 04/06/2025   Closes: 23/06/2025

We are launching a fully funded Mentor Training and Mentoring Programme for Women and Allies in the battery industries, designed to build connections across the UK’s battery supply chain.

More Information

Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Round 5 Discovery - May 2025

Opens: 26/05/2025   Closes: 25/06/2025

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30m for collaborative projects to deliver a net zero energy grid in the UK by tackling the Round 5 challenges.

More Information

Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Round 4 Discovery - May 2025

Opens: 26/05/2025   Closes: 25/06/2025

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30m for collaborative projects on network development, heat flexibility, resilience and net zero.

More Information

Innovate UK Growth Catalyst for late-stage startups: Clean Energy and Climate Technologies

Opens: 02/05/2025   Closes: 02/07/2025

Innovate UK is piloting a new programme called Growth Catalyst. It seeks to accelerate highly innovative startups on their journey to becoming successful scale-ups and beyond.

More Information

Battery Investment Readiness Programme 2025

Opens: 27/05/2025   Closes: 31/07/2025

Apply now to be part of the Battery Investment Readiness Programme for 2025. Innovate UK Business Connect will select up to 15 SMEs to join the programme to accelerate their investment journey.

More Information

Global Incubator Programme: USA (New York) - Advanced Energy and Sustainability Innovations

Opens: 02/06/2025   Closes: 11/07/2025

Delivered by Innovate UK, in partnership with the Urban Future Lab, this Global Incubator Programme (GIP) provides an opportunity for UK-based companies to expand into the North American market and collaborate with a leading innovation hub for climate tech startups.

More Information

Related Events and Recordings

Wed
29
Jan
2025

Navigating Net Zero: Understanding the Role of Hydrogen

10.00 - 11.30 | Online

Watch now
Wed
19
Mar
2025

Cross-Sector Battery Showcase - Advancing Innovation Across Industries - 2025

08.30 - 16.30 GMT | Leicester

Watch now
See all events

Our Experts

Related News

Cohort announcement for the Faraday Battery Challenge Investment Readiness Programme 2024

03/09/2024

Cohort announcement for the Faraday Battery Challenge Investment Readiness Programme 2024

Running for the fourth consecutive year, the Faraday Battery Challenge Investment Readiness Programme is going stronger than ever.

Read more
The Battery Caffè Podcast Series 2

03/02/2025

The Battery Caffè Podcast Series 2

The Battery Caffè, our series of short interviews with experts in batteries and related industries, is brought to you by the Cross-Sector Battery Systems Innovation Network.

Read more
More News

Related programme

Hydrogen Supply Chain Directory

Hydrogen Supply Chain Directory

This directory shares the details of those who are currently producing, storing, transporting, and using hydrogen. It also showcases solutions-providers who may be able to help these end users meet their hydrogen targets. Innovate UK Business Connect can facilitate knowledge transfer and introductions for users of the directory.

For general enquiries regarding our Energy sector contact us now

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