FUNDING Opportunities
Opportunities to collaborate with academics to develop your technology & products
Access expertise by collaborating with leading academics to validate concepts, pilot technologies, and strengthen R&D. This opportunity allows you to leverage funding with academic support funded through GW-SHIFT, with match funding from your organisation or business to provide a shared investment in innovation.
Test your ideas before committing significant resources using state-of-the-art facilities and knowledge, and build partnerships by establishing connections for future grants.
Next cohort dates:
If you are looking to develop your products further with these types of grants and academic support, complete the form in the link below, and we will get in touch.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
HY IMPACT
Hy Impact focuses on high-impact projects that accelerate the journey of hydrogen technologies to market. This initiative enables scalable R&D with potential for additional funding and market alignment.
As part of the High Impact strand of the GW-SHIFT programme, HY IMPACT projects will support the cluster to build on emerging innovations and test opportunities where there is anticipated growth potential.
These projects should be focused towards commercial potential of delivering technologies or services that will grow the green hydrogen economy in the region, and with anticipated high reward. There should be clear potential for the region to benefit and a route to developing jobs and growth where projects offer demonstrable success and larger scale transition.
Next cohort dates:
At least two rounds of HY IMPACT projects will run over the course of GW-SHIFT, from 2025-2027. Please submit proposal forms, found by clicking the button below, by 31st March 2026 5pm to GW-SHIFT@bath.ac.uk.
SECONDMENTS
As part of the Network Building strand of the GW-SHIFT programme, SECONDMENTs will develop key partnerships across the region to support the cluster to build on emerging innovations and test opportunities where there is anticipated growth potential.
These SECONDMENTs could lead to high impact, co-created collaborative projects from within GW-SHIFT or grant funded projects with Innovate UK or other grant funding bodies. There should be clear potential for the region to benefit and a route for progression from the SECONDMENTS.
Next cohort dates:
At least four rounds of SECONDMENTs will run over the course of GW-SHIFT, from 2025-2027. Please submit proposal forms, found by clicking the button below, by 31st October 2025 5pm to GW-SHIFT@bath.ac.uk.
CHALLENGE FUND
As part of GW-SHIFT Funding Opportunities, the Challenge Fund will support short, focused projects that respond to low-carbon hydrogen challenges identified by civic, local authority and public-sector partners across the South West of England and South Wales.
Projects should start from a clearly evidenced place-based need and bring academic expertise together with partner insight to develop practical, evidence-led responses. Where appropriate, industry partners may also be involved to contribute technical, commercial or delivery expertise that supports the civic or public-sector challenges.
These projects could include feasibility studies, partner-led problem scoping, technical validation, policy or regulatory insight, data mapping, evidence reviews or early-stage demonstrator planning. There should be clear potential for the region to benefit, with a route for progression through follow-on funding, partner adoption, policy use, demonstrator activity or future investment.
Next call dates:
The 2026 Challenge Fund call will close on 12 October at 5 pm. Please submit application forms by clicking the button below and sending to GW-SHIFT@bath.ac.uk.