In this episode of Bright Spark we look back at the Strategic Innovation Fund's successes across 2025 and give a preview of what’s in store for 2026.

Across 2025 the SIF continued to fund transformational innovation projects. We received 391 applications, 70% of these were funded, with £25.7 million pounds of funding approved for 40 innovation projects.

In 2026 we are looking forward to the start of the RIIO 3 price control for NESO, gas networks and electricity transmission. Find out how the SIF team has been working with our Ofgem colleagues to influence change, and what’s in store from the SIF as we move into this new phase.

SIF programme director Jodie Giles is joined for this one by Head of Delivery Kate Jones, Head of Innovation Laura Glover and Head of Commercial Paul Padaruth.

1. Find out more about the SIF on our SIF programme page on the Business Connect website
2. You can also find our new 2025 Annual Report and the latest version of our Project Directory on the SIF programme page
3. Sign up to the SIF newsletter for regular updates SIF news and events
4. SIF Round 5 EoI form - share your ideas and expertise with the SIF team
5. Predict for resilience podcast

Bright Spark is a Bespoken Media production

In this first episode of a two-part series, we explore what commercialisation and deployment mean within the Strategic Innovation Fund, and how the SIF team is working to drive impact at scale across the energy system through funded innovation. We explore the SIF team's internal framework for assessing projects, along with the support the team provides to networks and third-party innovators to help embed new solutions. The conversation also covers network culture, the price control mechanism, and why pace and delivering value for billpayers are crucial. Stay tuned for Part Two, which will focus on what it takes to deploy proven innovation at scale across the energy system.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-regulation/technology-and-innovation/innovation/strategic-innovation-fund-sif

What is the future of network resilience and preparedness?

Ellen Webb-Moore, energy systems innovation lead at SIF, visits the headquarters of SP Energy Networks to learn about two projects that both address resilience and preparedness, from different angles.

First, Fraser Lynch joins Ellen to talk about Predict 4 Resilience (P4R) - a SIF beta-funded tool that will predict outages and faults on the network using weather and other data, to mobilise personnel and proactively prepare resources ahead of severe and disruptive weather events.

In the second half of the episode, Daniel Barlow and Agusti Alvarez SIF Blade share how a second SIF-support project - SIF BLADE - can harness offshore wind to restart the grid in the event of a national transmission electricity system outage.

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https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/