Flexibility Innovation Programme
This programme looks to support innovative solutions to enable large-scale widespread electricity system flexibility.
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Details
The 2021 Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan and Energy Digitalisation Strategy identified key BEIS policy priorities to enable the transition to a smart, flexible and decarbonised energy system.
To support the transition, the Flexibility Innovation Programme seeks to enable large-scale widespread electricity system flexibility through smart, flexible, secure, and accessible technologies and markets. Up to £65 million will be made available. This overarching programme will fund innovation across a range of key smart energy applications.
The Flexibility Innovation Programme is part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio and forms a substantial part of a commitment set out in the 10 point plan for a green industrial revolution, to invest at least £100 million on energy storage and flexibility innovation challenges.
Innovation activity to date
Flex Markets Unlocked Innovation Programme
The Flex Markets Unlocked Innovation Programme, launched 26 June 2023, aims to support the design and development of innovative technical solutions that can facilitate system-wide coordination, standardisation, and revenue stacking across multiple flexibility markets (markets within which flexibility can be bought or sold), allowing a more diverse and competitive marketplace – unlocking flexibility.
Non-Domestic Smarter Tariff Comparisons Innovation Programme
The Non-Domestic Smarter Tariff Comparisons Innovation Programme, launched 4 May 2023, aims to fund projects that will identify, develop and test innovative solutions that use customer data (including half-hourly consumption data) to provide energy tariff comparisons (including standard tariffs, time of use tariffs, and tariffs bundled with flexibility technologies or services) along with supporting advice and recommendations for smaller non-domestic energy consumers.
Inclusive Smart Solutions Programme
The Inclusive Smart Solutions Programme, launched February 2023, aimed to help achieve a step-change in access to, purchase of, and/or use of smart energy technologies, products and services amongst low income and vulnerable consumers. This competition has now closed.
Alternative Energy Markets Innovation Programme
Phase 1 of the Alternative Energy Markets Innovation Programme competition, launched November 2022, aimed to support the design and development of innovative tariffs, products or services (demand side flexibility propositions) under alternative energy market scenarios of a future energy system. This competition has now closed.
Energy system ‘digital spine’ feasibility study
The energy system ‘digital spine’ feasibility study competition. launched 4 October 2022, is a 6 month feasibility study aiming to support policy development by understanding the opportunities, risks and potential architectures of ‘digital spine’ for the energy system. This opportunity is worth up to £204,000 (excluding VAT). This competition has now closed.
V2X competition (launched March 2022)
The V2X Innovation Programme (up to £12.6 million) aims to address barriers to enabling energy flexibility from bi-directional electric vehicle charging. Phase 2 seeks to support small-scale V2X bi-directional charging demonstrations. Phase 1 (competition now closed) supported the development of V2X bi-directional charging prototype hardware, software or business models.
Automatic Asset Registration (AAR) competition (launched April 2022)
Phase 1 of the Automatic Asset Registration (AAR) competition aimed to support the development of an automatic, automated secure data exchange process for registering small-scale energy assets and collecting and accessing small-scale energy asset data. This competition has now closed.
Interoperable Demand Side Response Programme competition (launched May 2022)
The Interoperable Demand Side Response (IDSR) programme aimed to support the development and demonstration of energy smart appliances for the delivery of interoperable demand side response. The 3 streams of the competition are now closed.
Smart Meter System based Internet of Things Applications competition (launched May 2022)
The up to £1.8 million Smart Meter System based Internet of Things (IoT) Applications programme aimed to support innovation to determine the feasibility of, and trial, Smart Meter System based IoT sensor devices. This competition is now closed
Smart Meter Energy Data Repository competition (launched May 2022)
The Smart Meter Energy Data Repository (SEDR) programme of up to £1 million aimed to support innovation to determine the technical and commercial feasibility of a smart meter energy data repository. This competition is now closed.
Collaboration platform
The Flexibility Innovation Collaboration platform is a match-making platform which brings together organisations to connect and collaborate, in order to support the development of collaborative applications under the Flexibility Innovation Programme.
If you would like to be kept informed about the Programme, please email flexibilityinnovation@beis.gov.uk.
Read our privacy notice on how we collect and process your personal data.
Information sessions
We held an event in April 2022 to provide further information on the programme and its innovation activities - see the attached slides and watch this recording:
Flexibility Innovation Programme update event
We also held a ‘how to apply’ information session in June 2022 to provide guidance on how to apply to Flexibility Innovation Programme grant funded and Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competitions via our application platform Smart Survey. The slides presented are available on this page, or watch a recording of the session:
Last updated 26 June 2023 + show all updates
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Added link to Flex Markets Unlocked Innovation Programme.
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Added slides for a Flex Markets Unlocked: engagement session which took place on 11 May 2023.
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Added a link to the Non-Domestic Smarter Tariff Comparisons Innovation Programme.
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V2X (vehicle-to-everything) Innovation Programme phase 2 launched.
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Inclusive Smart Solutions Programme is open to applications.
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Alternative Energy Markets Innovation Programme launched.
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Energy system ‘digital spine’ feasibility study competition added.
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NZIP flexibility innovation programme engagement session, 8 September - slides published.
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3 new competitions added.
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Smart Metering enabled flexibility innovation engagement session, 6 May 2022 - slides published.
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Added new event: Smart meter enabled flexibility innovation: online engagement event, Friday 6th May, 1-3pm.
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6 April Flex Unlocked event slides added.
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Video and slides from 5 April Update event added.
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Details added for 2 online update sessions providing further information on the Flexibility Innovation Programme and the innovation activity that will take place under the programme.
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Added slides from 2 engagement sessions: Interoperable demand side response and Automatic asset registration.
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Registration links to 2 engagement events added: Interoperable demand side response and Automatic asset registration.
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The Market Engagement Questionnaire for the Flexibility Innovation Programme has closed.
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Questionnaire closing date extended to 14 November 2021, 11:59 pm.
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First published.