Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Discovery C7

Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.

Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Discovery C7

Overview and award details

The Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) Discovery C7 competition supports collaborative early-stage work on innovation challenges affecting UK energy networks. Innovate UK is running the competition in partnership with Ofgem. Discovery funding is intended to help network operators and their project partners explore a problem and develop a proposed solution. Successful Discovery projects will be invited to apply to the Alpha phase, where projects prepare and test their proposed solutions ahead of possible later demonstration and deployment phases. An invitation is a route to a later application, not a promise of further funding. (Official competition page: Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Discovery C7.)

The competition offers a share of up to £30 million in total funding. That figure is the overall competition allocation, not the amount available to an individual project. Each Discovery project can request up to £200,000 excluding VAT, and the lead must include private funds equal to at least 10% of the project’s total costs. Applicants should distinguish the project cap from the competition-wide total when planning a proposal. The brief says the overall funding may change; check the live official competition brief for the current allocation and applicable subsidy-control terms before relying on them.

These dates and financial limits come from the supplied official competition evidence. For live changes or clarifications, use the official page rather than a third-party summary.

What kinds of projects fit?

A proposal must address one of five named Innovation Challenges. The published challenge areas are: accelerating industrial and business connections; faster network build and maintenance; instant-use domestic energy devices; eliminating outages; and decentralised system balancing. A credible fit should make the link between the chosen challenge and the proposed Discovery work explicit. The competition also requires projects to deliver a net benefit to energy consumers.

Discovery is the stage for investigating and shaping a potential solution, not a claim that a technology is already ready for broad deployment. The stated pathway is that successful Discovery projects will be invited to apply for Alpha, which focuses on preparing and testing the proposed solution. Later demonstration and deployment phases are possible, rather than guaranteed. When describing future potential, distinguish the work funded in Discovery from later-stage activity and avoid presenting an invitation as an automatic progression.

The brief does not set out detailed scoring criteria or explain how “net benefit” will be assessed. Applicants should read the current official brief and all application questions for the precise evidence requested. As preparation advice, make the consumer benefit understandable in the project’s own context: identify who could benefit, what network issue the work addresses, and how the Discovery activity will inform a next decision. Do not treat this suggested framing as a published scoring formula.

Who should apply and eligibility

Applications must be collaborative. The lead applicant must be an Ofgem-licensed gas distribution or transmission network, an electricity transmission or distribution network, or the National Energy System Operator (NESO). The lead must work with at least one project partner. Eligible partner examples in the brief include startups, small and medium-sized enterprises, suppliers, academics and independent researchers. Those examples describe possible partners; they do not remove the requirement for an eligible network or NESO lead.

Before building a team, confirm the proposed lead’s exact licence or NESO status and ensure that at least one partner is included in the application. The brief does not provide a complete partner eligibility rulebook or state that every type of organisation can participate in every role. If a proposed organisation’s status or role is unclear, check the current official competition brief or ask through the official Innovation Funding Service route before submitting.

The team’s project must address one of the five listed challenges and deliver net benefit to energy consumers. A Discovery project must start after 1 January 2027, finish within five months, and end no later than 31 May 2027. The lead must include a private-funds contribution of at least 10% of total project costs. These are published requirements, not optional targets. Build the schedule and budget around them and confirm how the application defines eligible costs and private funds in the current competition materials; the supplied brief does not expand on those accounting details.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS). The application consists of project details, application questions and finances. All application questions must be answered. Partner sections must be completed, and the relevant terms must be accepted. Allow time to coordinate partner input and review the complete application in IFS, since a draft that lacks partner sections or accepted terms is not a complete submission under the stated process.

Applicants must complete and upload the Project Management Template spreadsheet, including its worksheets. A Gantt chart must be provided in a separate tab, and the template is limited to 10 MB. Treat the template as a required application item, not an optional supporting document. The brief does not identify additional mandatory attachments beyond this template and Gantt chart, so consult IFS and the live competition materials for any other prompts or upload fields that apply to the specific application.

A practical sequence is:

1. Open the official competition page and enter the IFS application route. Confirm that the competition is open and review the current brief, questions and terms.
2. Confirm the eligible lead, name at least one project partner, and agree who will provide each partner section and accept the terms.
3. Select the relevant Innovation Challenge and shape the Discovery work around it and the required consumer net benefit.
4. Develop project details, complete every application question, and prepare the finances. Check that the request does not exceed £200,000 excluding VAT and that the lead’s private contribution is at least 10% of total project costs.
5. Complete every worksheet in the Project Management Template, add the Gantt chart in a separate tab, and check that the file is no larger than 10 MB.
6. Review the proposed start and finish dates against the allowed window, then verify all sections, partner inputs, terms and uploads in IFS before submitting by the stated deadline.

This sequence reflects the published application components and constraints. It is not a substitute for instructions displayed in IFS, which may clarify the current submission process.

Timeline and deadlines

The application window opened on 21 September 2026 and closes on 21 October 2026 at 11:00 a.m. UK time. The time matters: a submission after 11:00 a.m. is after the stated deadline, even if it is made on the same calendar date. Applicants should use the deadline displayed on the live official competition page and in IFS in case an update changes the published schedule.

Applicants are scheduled to be notified on 17 November 2026. This is a planned notification date, not a confirmed date on which every applicant will receive a decision. The brief does not state when contracting or project setup would happen, so do not assume a start date beyond the explicit requirement that projects start after 1 January 2027.

Each funded Discovery project must finish within five months and by 31 May 2027. Both limits apply: a project schedule must fit within five months and finish by the final date. The brief does not specify a universal start date, so the applicant’s proposed dates should be checked against the current application instructions rather than inferred from the notification date.

Preparation and common mistakes

The following are optional preparation steps, not additional published eligibility rules. First, check team eligibility early: confirm the lead’s network licence or NESO status, and agree a named partner and their contribution to the application. This reduces the chance of discovering late that the proposed lead or collaboration does not match the stated conditions.

Second, keep a simple budget check beside the draft. Track the requested amount excluding VAT, project total costs, and the lead’s private-funds contribution as separate figures. Confirm that the request stays within £200,000 and the contribution reaches 10% of total project costs. Because the supplied information does not explain the detailed treatment of costs or private funds, verify the applicable definitions in the live official materials instead of relying on an informal calculation.

Third, use a date check before finalizing the Gantt chart: project start must be after 1 January 2027, duration must not exceed five months, and completion must be by 31 May 2027. Then compare the chart with the project details and finances so that the same project period is represented throughout. This is practical consistency advice; the stated dates themselves are program requirements.

Common submission risks follow directly from the application instructions: leaving an application question unanswered, omitting partner sections or term acceptance, failing to complete all worksheets in the Project Management Template, placing the Gantt chart somewhere other than its separate tab, or uploading a template over 10 MB. A final review of the IFS application can catch these avoidable omissions. The official brief does not list a scoring rubric or describe how assessors weigh particular sections, so applicants should answer the actual prompts clearly rather than tailoring claims to an assumed formula.

Frequently asked questions

Can a startup or university lead an application?

The stated lead must be an eligible Ofgem-licensed gas or electricity network operator or NESO. Startups, SMEs, suppliers, academics and independent researchers are examples of project partners. The supplied brief does not establish that those partner types may lead, so a startup or university should verify its role with the official competition materials and work with an eligible lead.

Is the full £30 million available to each project?

No. Up to £30 million is the total competition funding allocation. An individual Discovery project may request up to £200,000 excluding VAT, and the project must include the required private contribution. Confirm the current overall allocation in the official brief because it may change.

Does a successful Discovery project automatically receive Alpha funding?

No automatic award is described. Successful Discovery projects will be invited to apply for Alpha. Alpha focuses on preparing and testing a proposed solution, while possible later demonstration and deployment phases are further steps.

What must the application include?

The described application comprises project details, answers to all application questions, finances, partner sections and accepted terms. It must also include the completed Project Management Template with every worksheet and a Gantt chart in a separate tab. The brief does not confirm whether other attachments are required; check the live IFS prompts and competition materials.

What happens if a project’s dates do not fit the published period?

The stated requirement is to start after 1 January 2027, finish within five months, and end by 31 May 2027. A proposal that cannot meet these limits should not assume flexibility. Ask through the official competition route whether a clarification has been issued; no exception is identified in the supplied evidence.

What details remain unconfirmed?

The brief flags that the total competition allocation may change and says applicable subsidy-control terms should be confirmed in the official brief. It does not supply detailed scoring criteria, a complete cost or private-funds accounting definition, extra attachment requirements beyond the named template and Gantt chart, or a guaranteed notification date. Applicants should check the current official competition page and IFS application for updates and ask the official route about unresolved eligibility or process questions.

Official sources

• Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund Discovery C7 — official competition listing

Use the official listing and its linked application materials as the authority for the latest funding allocation, subsidy-control terms, requirements and submission instructions. This article reflects the supplied competition brief; confirm any current changes before applying.