UKRI Funding for Consumer-Led Flexibility Market Access Sandpit

UKRI Funding Opportunities (All Councils)

Published March 11th, 2026

Detected March 12th, 2026

Summary

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a £1 million funding opportunity for a sandpit event focused on accelerating market access for consumer-led flexibility in the UK's energy market. The event aims to co-design prototype and minimum viable test products to address barriers to scaling flexibility, with successful projects eligible for funding.

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What changed

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through Innovate UK, NERC, EPSRC, and ESRC, is offering £1 million in funding for a sandpit event aimed at developing solutions for the UK's consumer-led flexibility market. The sandpit, scheduled for April 27, 2026, will bring together sector experts to co-design actionable prototype and minimum viable test products addressing challenges such as multi-market optimisation, locational price discovery, DNO flexibility incentives, and flexibility micro-grids. Projects developed and assessed at the sandpit will be eligible for funding ranging from £50,000 to £350,000 per project.

Organisations and designated experts interested in participating must submit an expression of interest by March 26, 2026. While the sandpit is open to individuals and organisations with relevant experience, only those based at UK organisations eligible for Innovate UK, NERC, EPSRC, or ESRC funding can receive funding. The initiative is part of UKRI's Clean Energy Superpower Mission, seeking to overcome market architecture barriers that prevent the scaling of consumer flexibility to meet the 12 GW target by 2030.

What to do next

Submit expression of interest by March 26, 2026.
Prepare to collaborate on prototype and minimum viable test products at the sandpit event on April 27, 2026.
Ensure organisation is eligible for Innovate UK, NERC, EPSRC, or ESRC funding if seeking project funding.

Source document (simplified)

Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: Sandpit: market access acceleration in consumer led flexibility

Opportunity status: Open Funders: Innovate UK, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Funding type: Other Total fund: £1,000,000 Award range: £50,000 - £350,000 Publication date: 11 March 2026 Opening date:

11 March 2026 9:00am UK time

Closing date:

26 March 2026 11:59pm UK time

Are you or a designated expert within your organisation interested in participating and shaping the future of the UK’s flexibility market? If so, submit an expression of interest to co-design actionable prototype and minimum viable test products across four challenge areas:

multi-market optimisation
locational price discovery
DNO flexibility incentives
flexibility ‘micro-grids’ Projects co-designed at the sandpit on 27 April 2026, in person at a location in London, will be assessed on the day. Successful projects will be eligible to receive funding following the event.

Who can apply

You should be a designated expert within your organisation and interested in shaping the future of the UK’s flexibility market. You should have expertise relevant to one or more of the four main challenge areas:

multi-market optimisation
locational price discovery
DNO flexibility incentives
flexibility ‘micro-grids’ You must be based at a UK organisation eligible for Innovate UK, NERC, EPSRC or ESRC funding to receive funding at the conclusion of the sandpit. However, the sandpit is open to any individuals and organisations with related experience across the four defined challenge areas who wish to contribute to the ideas developed. You should be able to demonstrate your ability to build and deliver high-impact scalable solutions while collaborating across system operators, research intuitions, and other subject matter experts.

During the sandpit, you will be encouraged to collaborate with other attendees across system operators, research institutions, businesses, other subject matter experts. You will work to formulate prototype and minimum viable test products which address the main challenge areas. These prototype and minimum viable test products will be assessed by a panel of experts on the day, to determine which will receive funding.

What we're looking for

Delivering 12 gigawatts (GW) of consumer-led flexibility by 2030 is essential for achieving a clean power system. Technology innovation alone will not get us to that 12GW target. Market architecture is also a key barrier to scaling this flexibility. Fragmented access, weak locational signals, and operator dispatch caution are currently trapping innovation in pilot environments rather than allowing scaling into dependable system capacity.

To break these barriers UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is convening a one-day innovation sandpit. This collaborative event will bring together sector experts across:

the National Energy System Operator
distribution system operators
innovators
independent market platform providers
research
Catapult organisations They will work together to co-design feasible intervention ideas that can be funded towards prototype and minimum viable test products.

This initiative is part of UKRI’s Clean Energy Superpower Mission, which is one of the missions included in the Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme. This sandpit is specifically part of the Consumer Led Flexibility Challenge within the Mission.

Funding

Selected prototype and minimum viable test products will be eligible for part of a total funding amount of £1 million.

The individual project value is approximately £50,000 to £350,000 per project.

Timeline

The prototype and minimum viable test products will be assessed by an expert panel during the sandpit. Formalised costings are due within two weeks post-event, with contract awards finalised within one month of the sandpit.

The delivery window is three to six months post award.

Arup has been contracted by UKRI to support with the facilitation and delivery of the sandpit.

How to apply

To apply

Complete the expression of interest for the sandpit: market access acceleration in consumer led flexibility.

You must submit your expression of interest by 26 March 2026 11:59pm UK time.

How we will assess your application

You will be selected based on your demonstrated expertise in the four key problem areas and your capacity to deliver high-impact, scalable solutions.

A panel from UKRI, Ofgem, and Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will review all expressions of interest forms. This is to ensure a balanced cohort of innovators, network operators, and research experts capable of driving meaningful market reform.