Just days after their ‘Project Reach’ innovation was shortlisted for the 2019 UK Energy Innovation Awards, Welsh SME, Egnida Group, were encouraged to enter a government innovation competition worth over £1 million.
The company, who specialise in helping organisations use innovation to transition to a low carbon economy, were contacted by a consultant working with the Welsh authorities, who had noticed their technology amongst the shortlist. They were prompted to enter a bid into a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the GovTech Catalyst for Torfaen County Borough council.
The competition, ‘Using data and digital technology to deliver better adult social care’, has a total value of £1.25 million, and aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of adult social care provision, through the development of data and digital technology.
Andrew Padmore, founder and CEO of Egnida, said:
‘We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the UK Energy Innovation Awards 2019, especially considering the fantastic opportunity for innovation that it has already brought about for us.
We were contacted about entering the SBRI competition not long after Project Reach was shortlisted, and our position amongst the shortlist forms a key part of our submission as we feel it really increases our credibility.’
Egnida’s ‘Project Reach’ innovation made it onto this year’s shortlist for the ‘Social Impact’ award in the UK Energy Innovation Awards 2019 and forms the basis of their SBRI competition submission.
An intelligent tool that identifies UK fuel poor properties, Project Reach calculates individual lower carbon energy options, and the associated funding consumers may benefit from. It utilises suitable local information, such as utility and NHS data, and then makes the data available to view through an interactive ‘sat-nav’ interface.
‘It is fantastic to have the opportunity to build on the work we’ve done to date, and to extend the innovation we have developed to help the fuel poor and vulnerable in the energy sector, by exploring the potential benefits this can bring to the health and social care sectors.
Being shortlisted for the awards definitely helped promote an awareness of our capability as a company, and we are really looking forward to the awards evening where we will have the opportunity to network and make new contacts.’
The awards, which have been showcasing the best innovations within the gas and electricity sectors since 2011, are greatly supported by the industry and offer an unprecedented opportunity for industry leaders and innovators to come together and celebrate the ideas and technologies that benefit customers, the environment, the industry and the supply chain.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday 26 September at Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel, which leading industry partners will be attending, as well as representatives from industry regulators, Ofgem and Ofwat.
