ESC19105 - Innovator Support Platform

Innovator Support Platform (ISP)

Ensuring UK innovators capitalise on the opportunities presented by the energy system transformation is an essential strand of the ESC's mission. SMEs in particular, face a range of systemic challenges and barriers to get new energy-related products and services to market and ready for wide-scale adoption by customers. At the same time SMEs must contend with the start-up, growth and scale-up challenges many new businesses struggle with, regardless of sector.

Our response for supporting innovative SME's is to offer a combined solution. We offer help to refine propositions and open routes to market through applying ESC assets and capabilities to navigate the energy transformation and systemic barriers to market entry. In parallel, we combine this offering with tailored business growth assistance through access to a broad network of market, technology, and business domain experts, existing incubators, accelerators and external support initiatives.

This gives rise to the ISP vision, that aligns with the ESC's 5-year Delivery Plan: "To establish the UK's leading 'virtual' energy incubator, supporting innovators to open routes to market whilst helping them to tackle business growth challenges"

We are delivering this vision through a 3-tier platform that can offer SME's a journey through Universal support, Incubation and Acceleration that suits their needs and stage of business:

1. Universal Support - standardised offerings accessible by all Innovators (not just SMEs), including sign-posting to ESC partner relationships and network

2. Incubation - tailored support for selected SMEs utilising ESC capabilities and delivery partner offerings, particularly for those at an early-stage of business growth

3. Acceleration - scale-up support for selected potential high-impact SMEs who can benefit from access to ESC capabilities, its partners, and links to investors, particularly for those at a later-stage of business scale-up

This Framework is primarily seeking services for SMEs at Tier 2 Incubation stage and Tier 3 Acceleration stage.