Funding competition Net Zero Heat: Design Engineering Innovation Lab
Individuals from UK registered organisations can apply to join a 5 day collaborative workshop to develop project ideas for delivery of net zero heat building upgrades. The best project ideas will be invited to apply for funding support as part of Stage 3.
- Competition opens: Wednesday 19 April 2023
- Competition closes: Wednesday 31 May 2023 11:00am
This competition is now closed.
Competition sections
Description
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will invest up to £8.5 million in innovation projects. As part of a three stage Innovation Lab you will be supported in creating and undertaking innovative, collaborative, research and development projects.
The aim is to accelerate the shift to a net zero economy. It offers the opportunity to develop project ideas that will improve the delivery and reduce the cost of net zero heat building upgrades through design and system engineering processes.
The Innovation Lab will bring together experts and insights from across different sectors to collaborate effectively and develop new solutions.
We are looking for a range of individuals from multi-disciplinary organisations to bring a diversity of knowledge. Not all will be typically associated with the heating or building renovation sectors. Organisations can include, but are not limited to, those active in:
- user-centred design, consumer and sector finance, housing and energy policy, urban planning, justice and equality, law and regulations
- providers of social services and facilities, third sector organisations working with vulnerable people, skills and training providers, owners of portfolios of buildings
- automotive, robotics, manufacturing, machine learning and artificial intelligence, remote sensing and computer vision
- net zero technology and solution providers, construction professionals, building performance evaluation professionals
- agencies of relevance to making an important contribution to the net-zero mission
This competition is split into 3 stages:
- Stage 1: Expression of interest in attending the Innovation Lab (this stage)
- Stage 2: Participation in all 5 days of the Innovation Lab
- Stage 3: Selected proposals developed at the Innovation Lab will be invited to apply for funding to undertake a collaborative research and development project
If invited to the 5 day collaborative residential Innovation Lab, you must commit to attend on behalf of and with the support of your organisation. The Innovation Lab will take place between 18 and 22 September 2023.
The location and agenda for the Innovation Lab will be included in your invite to attend.
Attendees to the Innovation Lab will work together to develop collaborative proposals for research and innovation projects that will deliver concept demonstrators.
In applying to this competition, you are entering into a competitive process. This competition closes at 11am UK time on the deadline stated.Funding type
Grant
Project size
There is no grant award provided for this EoI Stage. Selected proposals designed at the Innovation Lab and subsequently invited to Stage 3 are expected to have total grant request between £1.5 million and £5 million.
Who can apply
This is Stage 1 of a three stage competition:
- Stage 1: Expression of interest in attending the Innovation Lab (this stage)
- Stage 2: Participation in all 5 days of the Innovation Lab
- Stage 3: Selected proposals developed at the Innovation Lab will be invited to apply for funding to undertake a collaborative research and development project
To apply to participate as an individual in the Innovation Lab you must have the support both as an individual and be able to commit resources for your organisation to a potential stage 3 project.
You must be:
- part of a UK registered business of any size, academic institution, a research and technology organisation (RTO), charity, not for profit organisation or public sector organisation
- able to commit to attending all 5 days on a residential basis at the nominated UK location
- able to show you can work collaboratively and have the relevant skills, expertise and experience to represent your organisation
- able to demonstrate you have the authorisation from your organisation to undertake a project that relates to the scope of this competition
- able to demonstrate the resources and financial support your organisation will commit
More information on the different types of organisation can be found in our Funding rules.
If you plan to take part in the Innovation Lab you must submit your application yourself. If someone else makes an application on your behalf it will be ineligible.
If you are invited, you must sign and return a confidentiality agreement before attending the Innovation Lab. This is to protect existing intellectual property (IP) and to allow full disclosure of expertise and capabilities at the Innovation Lab.
You will also be required to attend both an online orientation webinar prior to the Innovation Lab, and the Innovation Lab from 18 to 22 September 2023.
Number of expressions of interest
Your organisation can be involved in any number of applications for individuals.
If more than one individual from an organisation applies, we expect to invite only one individual per organisation to participate in the Stage 2 Innovation Lab.
Up to 40 individuals from different organisations will be invited to attend the 5 day Innovation Lab.
Stage 3: Selected project proposals
Project proposals successfully developed and selected at the Innovation Lab will be invited to apply for funding support in a separately assessed stage 3 application.
Projects invited to Stage 3 are expected to have total grant request of between £1.5 million and £5 million.
Organisations involved must:
- carry out their project work in the UK
- intend to exploit the results from the UK
- work in collaboration with others (businesses, research base or third sector)
- involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Your project can include non-grant claiming partners.
Successful Stage 3 projects must start before 1 February 2024 and must finish by 31 March 2025.
Under current restrictions, this competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian and Belarusian entity as lead, partner or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian and Belarusian source.
Subsidy control (and State aid where applicable)
The stage 3 funding competition will provide funding in line with the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Further information about the Subsidy requirements can be found within the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).
Innovate UK is unable to award organisations that are considered to be in financial difficulty. We will conduct financial viability and eligibility tests to confirm this is not the case following the application stage.
EU State aid rules now only apply in limited circumstances. Please see our general guidance to check if these rules apply to your organisation.
Further Information
If you are unsure about your obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 or the State aid rules, you should take independent legal advice. We are unable to advise on individual eligibility or legal obligations.
You must always make sure that the funding awarded to you is compliant with all current Subsidy Control legislation applicable in the United Kingdom.
This aims to regulate any advantage granted by a public sector body which threatens to, or actually distorts competition in the United Kingdom or any other country or countries.
Funding
Attendance at the Innovation Lab
There is no grant award provided for Stages 1 and 2.
Innovate UK will pay your residential and subsistence costs to attend the Innovation Lab, excluding alcohol and other personal expenses.
You must pay your travel costs to and from the Innovation Lab. You can discuss other costs with Innovate UK by emailing support@iuk.ukri.org and these will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You will not be paid for Innovation Lab attendance or proposal development.
Stage 3: Proposed projects
We have allocated up to £8.5 million in Stage 3 to fund projects developed, based on the invited Innovation Lab proposals.
We expect each Stage 3 project to request total grant funding of between £1.5 million and £5 million. Funding will be in the form of a grant.
It is expected that only organisations being represented at the Innovation Lab will be eligible to receive grant funding. The inclusion of new project partners not involved in the Innovation Lab will be by exception and after agreement with Innovate UK.
For Stage 3, if your organisation’s work on the project is commercial or economic, your funding request must not exceed the limits below. These limits apply even if your organisation normally acts non-economically but for the purpose of this project will be undertaking commercial or economic activity.
For industrial research projects, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:
- up to 70% if you are a micro or small organisation
- up to 60% if you are a medium sized organisation
- up to 50% if you are a large organisation
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:
- up to 45% if you are a micro or small organisation
- up to 35% if you are a medium sized organisation
- up to 25% if you are a large organisation
For more information on company sizes, please refer to the company accounts guidance. This is a change from the EU definition unless you are applying under State aid.
If you are applying for an award funded under State aid Regulations, the definitions are set out in the European Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003.
Research participation
The research organisations undertaking non-economic activity as part of a proposed project can share up to 30% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation undertaking non-economic activity, this maximum is shared between them. Of that 30% you could get funding for your eligible project costs of up to:
- 80% of full economic costs (FEC) if you are a Je-S registered institution such as an academic
- 100% of your project costs if you are an RTO, charity, not for profit organisation, public sector organisation or research organisation
Your proposal
The Net Zero Heat programme is overcoming barriers to enable a faster roll-out of decarbonised heat for buildings.
The UK must move away from gas as a source of heating space and water in buildings to meet its net zero commitments.
The Net Zero Heat programme focuses on the following three approaches:
- Market demand: standardised information on what renovation to do, where and when for maximum impact
- System barriers: to bridge scaling gap leading to growth in supply chains and localised deployment
- Design engineering: to reduce capital and installation cost across the system of net zero building upgrades and heat provision
The aim of the Innovation Lab is to generate innovative and commercially viable new ideas. This will address the systemisation of delivery of net zero heat in buildings to make the process more efficient, effective and a lower cost.
The Innovation Lab will invite individuals representing a cross-disciplinary of organisations to come together for 5 days. They will explore and propose new solutions, using whole systems thinking, approaching complexity in terms of wholes and relationships rather than by splitting it down into parts.
The Innovation Lab will foster innovation and creativity in research design. It will provide a dedicated environment to allow participants to collaborate in designing and proposing novel projects. The project proposals may then be offered the opportunity to apply for funding support to carry out projects in a further separately assessed stage 3 application.
We are looking for unique consortia to emerge, developing project ideas decarbonising and reducing the heat requirements of buildings through design and system engineering.
Project proposals developed at the Innovation Lab must centre on the following:
- a just transition, ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded in approaches to net zero heat in buildings
- delivery of substantial upgrading of building portfolios
- reducing the cost and speed in delivery of building upgrades
- targeting decarbonisation of the whole system
- delivery of approaches at scale
- solutions demonstrated on real developments
As an individual applying to this expression of interest (EoI), you must show you are able to offer one or more of the following:
- demonstrable experience, interest, involvement, thinking and preparation on net zero renovation and design and systems engineering
- experience of developing and pitching project ideas
- understanding of sector industrialisation to reduce cost through collaborative design and system engineering
- understanding of how people interact with buildings in their life and work environment, particularly those in vulnerable or marginalised groups
Project ideas will be developed over the course of the Innovation Lab. Innovate UK, mentors and facilitators will help participants to ideate and form potential teams to build and review emerging project proposals. Ongoing contact with Innovate UK and mentors throughout the week will help project ideas stay within scope.
On the final day of the Innovation Lab project ideas will be pitched to a panel, consisting of expert assessors and Innovate UK funders. This pitch will be run as an assessment process using consistent assessment criteria to decide which teams will be invited to submit their project proposals to Stage 3.
Your pitch will describe your proposed idea and how it innovatively addresses the aim of the delivery of net zero heat in buildings. The pitch will also need to:
- quantify how the solution can be commercialised
- explain how it will include testing and demonstration in realistic scenarios or environments during and upon completion of the project
- address regulatory or safety issues and constraints, providing a clear indication how these can or will be resolved and demonstrated
- demonstrate organisational buy-in from consortia members
Project teams will be informed on the final day whether they can apply to Stage 3 of the competition. They will be offered feedback from the pitch review.
Invited projects will have 4 weeks after the Innovation Lab to finalise their proposals and agree them with their respective organisations.
Full Stage 3 project applications must then be submitted for assessment through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal.
Stage 3 projects must be the same as the project proposals created during Stage 2 of the Innovation Lab, including any feedback from the pitch panel .
The location and agenda for the Innovation Lab will be included in your invite to attend.
Portfolio approach
We will take a portfolio approach to selecting candidates for the Innovation Lab.
We want to include a broad range of organisations, disciplines, technologies and approaches that will bring together people who would not normally work together. Ensuring a diversity of knowledge and the equality, diversity and inclusion of participants.
Not all attendees will be typically associated with the heating or building renovation sectors.
Specific themes
Your proposed project can focus on one or more of the following:
- delivery of energy demand reduction
- delivery of market demand certainty
- delivery of heat efficiency
- delivery of cost reductions for systemised deep renovation
- building upgrades for heat demand reduction that are faster to do and easier to initiate
- using data, automation, AI and machine learning, capitalise building information modelling (BIM), computer vision, off-site manufacturing to improve renovation and heating upgrade processes
- utilise modular in design with common interfaces and open architectures, and follow all appropriate industrial standards and system engineering principles
Research categories
We will not invite
We are not taking forward expressions of interest from individuals or organisations that cannot commit the resources or financial support to undertake a proposed project.
We will not invite Innovation Lab proposals for stage 3 projects that:
- are solely focused on solutions for new buildings
- encourage the continued use of fossil fuel technology
- advocate using hydrogen for domestic heating
- are unable to achieve a successful consortium at the Innovation Lab
In Stage 3 we cannot fund projects that are:
- dependent on export performance, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it exports a certain quantity of bread to another country
- dependent on domestic inputs usage, for example giving a subsidy to a baker on the condition that it uses 50% UK flour in their product
- 19 April 2023 1:00am
- Competition opens
- 20 April 2023
- Online briefing event: watch the recording
- 31 May 2023 11:00am
- Competition closes
- 10 July 2023
- Applicants notified If invited to Innovation Lab
- 12 July 2023 12:33pm
- Applicants notified
- 18 September 2023
- Innovation Lab start date
- 22 September 2023
- Innovation Lab end date
Before you start
You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.
Before submitting, it is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure:
- that all the information provided in the application is correct
- your expression of interest (EoI) meets the eligibility and scope criteria
- all sections of the application are marked as complete
You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.
What we ask you
The application is split into 2 sections:
- Project details.
- Application questions.
Accessibility and inclusion
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to making our application process accessible to everyone. This includes providing support, in the form of reasonable adjustments, for people who have a disability or a long-term condition and face barriers applying to us. Read more on how we are making our application process more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
You must contact us as early as possible in the application process. We recommend contacting us at least 15 working days before the competition closing date to ensure we can provide you with the most suitable support possible.
You can contact us by emailing support@iuk.ukri.org or calling 0300 321 4357. Our phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
1. Project details
This section provides background for your application and is not scored.
Applicant details
If you plan to take part in the Innovation Lab you must submit your application yourself.
If someone else makes an application on your behalf, it will be ineligible.
Application details
For the project title enter your full name.
For the start date enter ’01 September 2023’ and for the duration enter ‘1 month’.
These fields are mandatory. You will not be scored on the answers you provide.
2. Application questions
The assessors will score all your answers apart from question 1, 2 and 3. You will receive feedback for your application, not individual questions.
Your application to attend the Innovation Lab will be considered by a selection panel, consisting of the Innovation Lab Lead and at least two further independent assessors, one of whom is a behavioural expert.
The selection panel will look for evidence that you:
- have an open, engaging, flexible, imaginative and creative outlook
- have the ability to develop new and highly original innovative ideas
- have the ability to work constructively with people of diverse disciplines
- have the stamina and enthusiasm needed to work with strangers intensively over 5 days, away from home
- work in practical delivery of projects rather than in a financial, procurement or business support role
- have the authority and backing of the organisation you represent to provisionally agree to working on a Stage 3 project
You must answer all questions. Do not include any website addresses (URLs) in your answers.
Question 1. Applicant location (not scored)
You must state the name and full registered address of your organisation.
We are collecting this information to understand the geographical location of all applicants.
Question 2. Commitment (not scored)
If selected, you must attend all 5 days of the Innovation Lab without interruption. Do you and your organisation commit to this? Please answer yes or no.
If you select no, your application will be made ineligible and not sent for assessment.
Question 3. Themes (not scored)
You must state which themes you are most interested in focusing on.
- delivery of energy demand reduction
- delivery of market demand certainty
- delivery of heat efficiency
- delivery of cost reductions for systemised deep renovation
- building upgrades for heat demand reduction that are faster to do and easier to initiate
- using data, automation, AI and machine learning, capitalise building information modelling (BIM), computer vision, off-site manufacturing to improve renovation and heating upgrade processes
- utilising modular design with common interfaces and open architectures
- user-centred design, consumer and sector finance, housing and energy policy, urban planning, justice and equality, law and regulations
- providers of social services and facilities, third sector organisations working with vulnerable people, skills and training providers, owners of portfolios of buildings
- automotive, robotics, manufacturing
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
Question 4. Your background
Outline your professional background and current job or role. Describe 2 to 4 high points of your career.
Your answer can be up to 250 words long.
Question 5. Your organisation
Describe the organisation you work for. What is their primary function and how will it contribute to achieving the aims of the Innovation Lab?
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
Question 6. Subject knowledge
How do you see the decarbonisation of heat in buildings being achieved over the next 15 years? How can you see this being done in a just way, ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion is embedded into any project and approach to net zero heat in buildings?
Your answer can be up to 150 words long.
Question 7. Expertise and interests
The aim of the Innovation Lab is to generate innovative and commercially viable new ideas. How will your expertise and interests contribute to achieving the aims of the Innovation Lab?
Your answer can be up to 300 words long.
Question 8. Teamwork
What is your approach to teamwork?
What do you regard as your strengths and weaknesses?
Why do you consider yourself suited to participate?
Your answer can be up to 100 words long
Question 9. Communication skills
How would you explain your professional area of interest in a way that anyone could understand?
Your answer can be up to 100 words long.
Question 10. Innovation Lab
Explain how you consider the Innovation Lab will support the development of proposals for net zero heat in buildings?
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
Question 11. Benefits to you and your organisation
What do you and your organisation hope to gain from taking part in the Innovation Lab?
Provide:
- details of why they want to take part and what benefit you expect for your organisation
- a statement of the resources or financial support your organisation may be willing to commit to a successful project, including access to appropriate specialised facilities, if available
- proof of endorsement of your participation by an appropriate approval authority from your organisation, including their name, role and contact details
Your answer can be up to 200 words long.
You must submit your approval authority as an appendix to support your answer. It can be no larger than 10MB and up to 2 A4 pages long. The font must be legible at 100% zoom.Background and further information
The Net Zero Heat programme is overcoming barriers to enable a faster roll-out of decarbonised heat for buildings.
The UK must move away from gas as a source of heating space and water in buildings to meet its net zero commitments.
Heat in buildings accounts for 23% of UK emissions and to achieve carbon reduction targets the UK needs to decarbonise heat for its 30 million plus buildings. This will be achieved by a combination of reducing heat demand and a faster, scaled roll out of renewable heating technology.
There will be a net benefit to the economy from scaling these solutions faster than other countries alongside greater energy security, lower energy bills, healthier indoor environments, and reduced fuel poverty.
The Net Zero Heat programme focuses on the following three approaches:
- Market demand: standardised information on what renovation to do where and when for maximum impact
- System barriers: to bridge scaling gap leading to growth in supply chains and localised deployment
- Design engineering: to reduce capital and installation cost across the system of net zero building upgrades and heat provision
The Innovation Lab
The Innovation Lab will build on approaches and achievements from the Transforming Construction Challenge, with a focus on heat in domestic and non-domestic existing building assets.
The Innovation Lab will consist of:
- an Innovation Lead who has overall responsibility for the Innovation Lab
- up to 40 participants, who are expected to contribute fully and constructively
- a team of mentors to help the director assess participants and provide objective advice, feedback and input
- Innovation Lab facilitators to design the activities and schedule sessions
- independent stakeholders with real experience of the challenge
The Innovation Lab process will include:
- evolving a common language, terminology and concept of operations
- sharing understanding of the challenges, and benefitting from one another’s expertise
- taking part in break-out sessions, using creative thinking techniques
- capturing outputs as highly innovative research project ideas
- forming new consortia that would not otherwise have had the potential to develop
The agenda for the Innovation Lab will be included in your invite to attend.
The venue has been selected both in terms of links to public transport and personal accessibility. Its facilities will help balance working and down time. All rooms will be single and have en-suite facilities.
If you have particular needs, or requests for adjustments, please contact the Innovation Lead through the Innovate UK Customer Support Service following your invite to Stage 2. All requests will be considered on a case by case basis.
For those attending the Lab dietary needs will be circulated before attendance.
Data sharing
Support for SMEs from Innovate UK EDGE
If you receive an award, you will be contacted about working with an innovation and growth specialist at Innovate UK EDGE. This service forms part of our funded offer to you.
These specialists focus on growing innovative businesses and ensuring that projects contribute to their growth. Working one-to-one, they can help you to identify your best strategy and harness world-class resources to grow and achieve scale.
We encourage you to engage with Innovate UK EDGE, delivered by a knowledgeable and objective specialist near you.Next steps
If you are successful with this expression of interest, you will be asked to take part in the Innovation Lab.
If your application is unsuccessful
If you are unsuccessful with your application this time, you can view feedback from the assessors. This will be available to you on your IFS portal following notification.
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