Gas Innovation Fund

The Innovation Fund is intended to promote and accommodate an environment of innovation in the gas industry.

Innovation in the Gas Industry

The Gas Innovation Fund is intended to promote and encourage an environment of innovation in the gas industry. Gas Networks Ireland wishes to engage with key stakeholders in order to share knowledge and leverage the best use of all resources for innovation. It is intended that the Gas Innovation Fund will foster creativity, tailor innovation and consider solutions that meet gas industry needs, embedding innovation in the Gas Networks Ireland organisation and the gas industry.

The Gas Innovation Fund:

Following CRU approval, Gas Networks Ireland set up the Gas innovation Fund to support innovation in the gas industry. This Innovation Fund has operated through previous price controls (PC3 and PC4), and Gas Networks Ireland are in ongoing discussions with the CRU regarding approval of a new Innovation Fund for the upcoming price control (PC5).

Projects

You can view a list of completed PC4 Innovation Projects here.

Categories:

The aim of the gas innovation fund is to provide support for research and demonstration projects. In addition, a small allocation of funding goes to Gas Networks Ireland for programme management. The gas innovation fund has been divided into the following two broad categories:

  • Research
  • Strategic Projects

Key Priorities:

There are a number of key priorities that drive the PC4 gas innovation fund. The key priorities are (i) increase throughput through the gas system, (ii) assist in the transition to a low carbon economy, (iii) deliver significant carbon savings and (iv) provide measurable value to all gas customers.

Gas Innovation Fund Annual Reports:

The CRU has published an Innovation Reporting Framework and as part of this framework Gas Networks Ireland is required to provide an annual report to the CRU for each gas year of the fourth price control. The annual report outlines the activities of the Gas Innovation Fund for that particular time period. The first annual report for the PC4 Gas Innovation Fund is a combined report which covers two gas years i.e. from October 2017 to September 2019. More information about this report can be found here.

Administration:

The Gas Innovation Fund for the PC4 price control was administered and Chaired by Gas Networks Ireland with the Gas Innovation Advisory Group (GIAG) acting as advisors to the fund. The GIAG was comprised of representatives from academia, industry and policy. Members of the GIAG included:

  • Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)
  • Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE)
  • Department of Transport Tourism and Sport (DTTAS)
  • Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)
  • Enterprise Ireland
  • Gas Networks Ireland
  • National Economic and Social Council (NESC)
  • National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
  • Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI)
  • University College Cork (UCC)

Gas Networks Ireland will carried out a high level assessment of the applications forms that were submitted then the eligible application forms were sent to the GIAG for review. The GIAG made a recommendation about whether an application had merit. The Chair was responsible for bringing these recommendations to the Gas Networks Ireland Innovation Steering Committee for funding approval. Where an application was successful, funding that had been approved was only released once an agreed contract was in place with Gas Networks Ireland. The Gas Innovation Fund is now closed to new applications.

We hope to receive CRU approval to initiate a new Gas Innovation Fund for the upcoming Price Control (PC5).

Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals seeking funding under the PC4 Gas Innovation Fund were assessed under certain criteria, such as relevance, maturity and impact.

  1. Relevance – how relevant is the project with regard to addressing the Gas Innovation Fund priorities?
  2. Maturity – how mature is the project, have elements of the project already started?
  3. Impact – what impact will the project have and what are the potential practical applications for the project?

Submission Deadlines:

Please send any questions relating to the Gas Innovation Fund to the following email address: innovationapplications@gasnetworks.ie.