Innovation UK > News > Innovation UK Vol5-2 > Accelerating opportunities

The Energy Generation & Supply Knowledge Transfer Network (EG&S KTN) is a completely new KTN and was launched on 13 October at Innovate 09.

Through co-ordinated technology and innovation, a major objective is to accelerate the UK?s uptake of the huge energy business opportunities in the UK and globally. In accord with the Technology Strategy Board?s EG&S strategy for 2008-2011, the KTN will focus on several technology areas: offshore wind, wave and tidal, carbon- abatement technologies (including higher-efficiency plants, biomass co-firing and carbon capture & storage), hydrogen and fuel cells, maximising oil and gas resources and future emerging opportunities.

The KTN is led by TWI and brings together a strong delivery team comprising AEA Technology, Advanced Power Generation Technology Forum), The Industry Technology Facilitator, Synnogy and UK Energy Research Centre. The EG&S KTN is referenced within the UK government?s 2009 Low Carbon Transition Plan: ?It will promote collaboration and knowledge sharing between developers nationally and internationally and in so doing, enable industry to identify suitable funding opportunities. UK and EU grant and support schemes for energy generation technology developers are provided by a number of bodies and can be seen as confusing and hard for developers seeking funding to navigate. The KTN will act as a ?front door? helping developers navigate the UK and EU funding landscape so they receive the best support available to progress their technology development.?

The EG&S KTN aims to engage with the growing population of stakeholders and map on to existing networks within the EG&S landscape. Membership of the KTN is free of charge and open to the entire energy community, including industry, investor, academia, innovators, government bodies and regulators.

Registered EG&S KTN members will benefit from access to advisory services aimed at facilitating business and technological success, for example in R&D funding and collaboration building, project financing, supply-chain opportunity, technology investment and updates, market and policy information. These services will be delivered through an interactive web portal, Enquiry Helpdesk, as well as networking and partnership-brokering events. Special Interest Groups are also planned to address focus areas that are cross-cutting and strategic to the growth of the UK energy industry.

Dr Brian Cane, Head of TWI?s Power and Energy Systems and appointed EG&S KTN Director, stated: ?The new KTN provides a great opportunity to speed progress towards UK Low Carbon economy and energy security targets and I intend that it will deliver real and measureable benefits to the Energy Generation & Supply community.?

A particular area of focus is to make the Energy Generation and Supply arena easier to navigate and so the KTN will be designed as a ?one-stop shop? for all stakeholders in a sector where grant-funding and knowledge-sharing opportunities are provided by a range of different organisations. For example, one such organisation is the European Commission whose funding programmes for energy projects include Framework Programme 7 and Energy and Intelligent Energy Europe.

The KTN and Energy Helpline UK have initiated a partnership to ensure that UK organisations are guided efficiently through the funding landscape and supported effectively with their bids for funding. In particular, they will be collaborating to assist organisations with forming the partnerships that are a prerequisite for many European funding programmes.

For more information, visit: Website: www.innovateuk.org/energyktn