Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Round 5 Discovery - January 2026

This competition is delivered by Innovate UK in partnership with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and is funded by the Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund, which aims to deliver net zero at lowest cost to consumers and support innovative businesses to grow and scale. Organisations can apply for a share of up to £30 million for collaborative Discovery Phase Projects that meet the Round 5 challenges. Discovery is the first phase of a three-phase competition, followed by Alpha and Beta phases. There are seven challenge areas in the Round 5 Discovery Phase: 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. Projects must be led by an Ofgem licensed network or operator but are encouraged to partner with start-ups, SMEs, suppliers, academics, independent researchers and disruptors. The Discovery Phase will define the problem and the value in solving it, facilitating a common understanding of consumers' and network users' needs from the innovation and identifying constraints. Successful applicants from the Discovery Phase will be invited to apply for the Alpha Phase, which focuses on preparing and testing solutions, ahead of large-scale demonstration in the Beta Phase.