Are you wondering how to get your innovation in front of the utilities industry, where to go for support and advice on innovating within the industry, or where to start on your journey to getting your innovation into business as usual (BAU)? Or maybe you want to know what challenges the industry are currently looking to solve, how you can get involved in some of the latest opportunities to innovate with them, or where the focus is for innovation in the sector?
Here at the EIC, we know that getting your innovations in front of the industry isn't always straightforward. That's why we'd like to share with you three ways that the EIC works to help you get your innovations seen and your ideas heard by our industry partners:
1. Calls for Innovation
Calls for Innovation are opportunities for innovators to work with our industry partners in gas, electricity, water and beyond to solve specific problems that they have identified.
Calls for Innovation are typically:
- determined by our industry partners who, on occasion, will collaborate with each other
- of a high priority
- set to a timescale by which a solution is required.
The calls process follows a standard format, in which innovators are invited to submit proposed solutions to a specific call brief. Submissions are shortlisted to those innovators who best answer the call brief. The innovators will then be invited to attend a presentation day where their solutions will be presented to a panel of subject matter experts from the lead partner/collaborating industry partners.
Explore our current Calls for Innovation here.
2. Industry Challenges
Industry Challenges are opportunities for innovators to submit proposals that address wider, less-specific challenges faced by our industry partners.
Industry Challenges typically:
- describe a challenge faced by an industry partner/partners and also has the potential to be cross-sector
- have multiple desired outcomes that will address a variety of topics within the overall challenge
- do not have a set timescale by which solutions are required
Responses to Industry Challenges are reviewed and shortlisted by the EIC, taking into consideration our partners` needs.
A pre-agreed timeline of how/when proposals will be reviewed and shared with our industry partners will be provided.
Explore our current Industry Challenges here.
3. And finally, if you can't find an opportunity that is relevant to your idea or innovation…
You can submit innovative ideas or products that you feel could benefit our industry partners, whether they’re development proposals or market ready solutions, by logging in or signing up to our free Innovation Community here.
Whilst we can't guarantee that all proposals will be taken forward to our industry partners, submitting proposals starts a journey that could lead to you being funded to work collaboratively with our partners, developing or trialling your innovative ideas or products with the ultimate goal of driving them into business as usual. There is potential for some projects with our energy partners to be funded via NIA funding where suitable.
Our innovation community is free to join and the support and services that we offer are free of charge for all innovators, with no extra cost to you or your business. To start accessing the support tools and services we have to offer, sign up to our Innovation Community today or contact us to find out more.
