BEIS information day: Boosting Access to SMEs for Energy Efficiency (BASEE) competition

About the eventThe Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is holding an information day on 20 March 2019 for those interested in the Boosting Access to SMEs for Energy Efficiency (BASEE) competition. The day will follow the publication of Invitation to Tender and Competition Guidance notes, which BEIS aims to publish the week beginning 11 March 2019.The information day will provide an opportunity for attendees to hear more about the purpose of the competition as well as detail on how to apply and opportunity to ask questions.  BEIS expects this to be a half day event to be held in London, starting at 9.30 am and closing after lunch.About the competition The competition will make available £5.6m of funding for innovative solutions that reduce transaction costs and encourage the take up of energy efficiency by SMEs. Projects are envisaged to fall broadly into three categories: Business models that look to simplify and standardise elements of the investment; or A new technical tool/solution, such as a platform which provides a standardised method of assessing and displaying potential savings from a portfolio of buildings, or to match potential businesses who want to install energy efficiency with technology providers. Other innovative solutions to facilitate investment in energy efficiency for SMEsThe competition is expected to open on week beginning 11 March 2019 with an eight-week window for bids to be submitted.The competition will be in two phases with up to £60k per project available in Phase 1 for up to 10 projects where projects will undertake feasibility studies and up to £1m per project available in Phase 2 for piloting of up to 5 successful Phase 1 projects.EligibilityThis competition is open to all organisations that can demonstrate a route to market. This includes SMEs and large enterprises, academic, financial, research, public and third sector organisations. The competition is UK wide and aims to fund projects that can demonstrate market potential within any commercial sector, with a strong possibility of replicability. Funding will only cover the facilitation of the investment in energy efficiency, and will not cover physical purchase of energy efficient technologies. Projects can propose supporting energy efficiency measures alongside other measures such as demand side response, renewable energy and metering technologies or wider renovation/refurbishment works; however, the proposals must clearly demonstrate how it is facilitating energy efficiency improvements and the funding is only available for the energy efficiency element of a proposal.To regsiter for the event For further information or to register your interest in taking part in the Information Day please email BASEE@ricardo.com by noon on 6 March 2019 stating the following information: Name Organisation Organisation type Job title and role within organisation Number of people that wish to attend (maximum of 2 per organisation). Note that numbers will be limited. If you are not able to attend the Information Day, BEIS is planning additional webinars to present the same information. Please register your interest in attending a webinar by emailing BASEE@ricardo.com.Opportunity for ADE membersIf any ADE members are intersted in working with ACE Research on this competition, please contact ACE Research Director Kelly Greer.