Organisations, researchers and public sector partners across South West England and South Wales are being invited to apply for the new GW-SHIFT Challenge Fund, which will provide up to £250,000 to support innovative projects tackling low-carbon hydrogen challenges.
The fund has been designed to encourage collaboration between academia, local authorities, public bodies and industry, helping to develop practical, evidence-based solutions to some of the key barriers and opportunities associated with hydrogen technologies.
Up to five projects will receive funding of as much as £50,000 each, with an additional discretionary allocation of up to £10,000 per project available to support public engagement activities. Projects can run for up to nine months.
Supporting Real-World Challenges
Unlike traditional research funding programmes, the Challenge Fund is driven by the needs of civic and public sector organisations. Applications must start with a clearly defined challenge identified by a local authority, public body or policy partner and demonstrate how the proposed work will support practical decision-making, delivery or future investment.
The programme is seeking projects that can:
Accelerate low-carbon hydrogen innovation and deployment.
Strengthen collaboration between academic institutions, public sector organisations and industry.
Generate economic, environmental, social or policy benefits.
Deliver practical outputs within a nine-month timeframe.
Create pathways to further investment, adoption or future demonstrator projects.
Potential project activities could include feasibility studies, technical validation, policy and regulatory analysis, data mapping, evidence reviews and early-stage demonstrator projects.
Opportunities for Businesses
Businesses can play an important role in Challenge Fund projects where their commercial, technical or delivery expertise supports a civic or public-sector challenge. Industry partners are encouraged to participate alongside academic and public-sector organisations, helping bring innovative solutions closer to real-world implementation.
Where industry partners are involved, applications are normally expected to demonstrate match funding equivalent to the grant requested, although arrangements for SMEs may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Strengthening the Regional Hydrogen Economy
GW-SHIFT aims to expand the network of low-carbon hydrogen activity across South West England and South Wales, creating stronger connections between research expertise, public sector priorities and industry need. The fund is intended to generate new intelligence, support future investment opportunities and help grow the region's hydrogen innovation ecosystem.
While projects must demonstrate benefits within the GW-SHIFT geography, organisers are also keen to support ideas with wider national or international relevance.
Key Dates
The Challenge Fund opened in July 2026 and applications must be submitted by 5pm on 12 October 2026. All funded projects must be completed by 30 November 2027 at the latest.
Find Out More
Further information, eligibility guidance and application documents are available on the GW-SHIFT website:
https://www.gw-shift.org/challenge-fund
Businesses, researchers and public sector organisations interested in developing innovative hydrogen solutions are encouraged to explore the opportunity and identify potential partners ahead of the application deadline.