The Ofgem Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) has announced £16.2 million in funding for projects in its sixth cycle. These projects are the first to address new SIF challenges for 2026 to 2033, focusing on areas like faster infrastructure delivery, consumer-led decarbonisation, and green gas.
One project, Data-Integrated Systems for Power Transmission and Community Heat (DISPATCH), will explore how data centres can be sited to provide low-temperature waste heat, aiming to accelerate industrial and business connections. Another initiative, Routing and Planning through Interoperable Data (RAPID), seeks to streamline infrastructure development by creating a shared transmission data interoperability framework, with an ambition to deliver infrastructure 50% faster and 20% cheaper by 2035.
For domestic energy, Roaming Meter Point Administration Numbers (MPANs) will enable electric vehicle (EV) drivers to access their home electricity accounts and smart tariffs at public chargers. Additionally, Security of Supply reflecting distributed generation (SOS Racer) will assess how distributed demand-side flexibility can strengthen electricity security and contribute to eliminating energy outages, with a goal of near-zero interruptions by 2038.
Each challenge will be supported by an Innovation Delivery Group (IDG), comprising representatives from energy networks, decision-makers, and subject-matter experts. These IDGs have received discovery phase funding to develop innovation charters, which will be published in January 2027. These charters are intended to provide strategic roadmaps, mapping current innovation activity, identifying gaps, and setting out pathways to meet the innovation challenges.