SBRI Open Digital Solutions for Net Zero Energy

Fund Details

Open approaches can accelerate digitalisation whilst prioritising system security and protecting customers. You must demonstrate that your open approaches and solutions can:

• help citizens and organisations accelerate to a net-zero energy system
• stimulate collaboration across the energy sector to accelerate the development of shared and open digital resources
• increase the transparency of digital solutions in the energy sector to improve security, quality, and value
• create business growth opportunities based on supporting and adopting open principles and solutions
• drive interoperability across organisations and solution providers

You can develop an open solution, across the value chain, for any of the following net-zero energy sectors:

• power
• hydrogen
• carbon capture, use and storage
• heat
• transport
• buildings
• industry
• whole system integration

Your open solution can be software, hardware, firmware, or a data solution. Example open solutions could include a heat pump controller, wind turbine location optimisation software, digital twin, smart sensors, battery management system, building heat loss software, heat network control system.

Your project must:

• develop original open software, hardware or data solutions that accelerate the transition to net-zero energy in the UK
• embrace open principles including appropriate open approaches and have suitable open licencing, such as OSI approved licences.
• actively foster the development of a community to support and adopt the open solution
• include a first user as part of the project
• demonstrate a credible and practical route to industry adoption

Eligibility

Projects will NOT be funded that:

• have total project costs in excess of £300,000 inclusive of VAT
• do not meet the scope of the competition
• develop proprietary solutions
• have not identified a first user and explained how they will be engaged as a key stakeholder during the project
• the solutions provided do not meet the principles of openness and comply with appropriate open approaches such as the Open Source Definition.
• would directly duplicate other UK government or EU funded initiatives you have already been funded to deliver
• are covered by existing commercial agreements to deliver the proposed solutions
• do not address how any potentially negative outcomes (such as on the environment or society) would be managed
• seek to develop solutions associated with key digital infrastructure requiring action or investment by government or the regulator with changes to policy or regulation

To lead a project, you can:

• be an organisation of any size
• work alone or with others from business, research organisations, research and technology organisations or the third sector as subcontractors

Talk to us today if you would like to apply for this opportunity.