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Working on an innovative idea related to the energy sector? Join the Blue Lab innovation challenge! (Sponsored)

EDF Energy and L Marks recently launched the 2017 edition of the Blue Lab Innovation Challenge. After the great success of last year’s Innovation Challenge, the program is now looking for more creative and disruptive products and services that can shape the future of the energy sector and enhance the lives of EDF Energy’s customers.

If you’re working on innovative ways to create insight and value from energy data using artificial intelligence and machine learning, or developing amazing new devices, controls or approaches to make energy better for vulnerable customers, the Blue Lab Innovation Challenge would be a perfect opportunity for you.

With its innovation programme, EDF Energy aims to enable better lives, better experience and better energy for all of society.

There are three main categories for the Blue Lab Innovation Challenge, which isn’t looking for energy startups exclusively but any innovative ideas that can be applied to the energy sector. Here they are:

  • Protecting vulnerable customers: The challenge is interested in ideas that can help make EDF Energy’s services more accessible and efficient for vulnerable customers.
  • Creating value from energy data: EDF Energy generates a lot of data from its customers and is looking for innovative uses of artificial intelligence and machine learning to help make sense of all of this data.
  • Wildcard: This category is open-ended where startups can pitch ideas that don’t fit into the two above categories but can still be applied to EDF Energy’s business.

Participants in the programme will have access to mentorship and product validation from EDF Energy’s stakeholders and experts from the energy sector. Selected startups will have the location and necessary tools to live test their products in preparation for going to market with potential access to customers. EDF has also partnered with Amazon Web Services to provide access to AWS’ Activate programme for low cost infrastructure for scaling and growing. To take part in the Blue Lab Innovation Challenge you don’t have to give away shares of your startups, but you might have the opportunity to secure an investment from EDF Energy.

In addition, EDF Energy is currently looking for teams for the Pulse Awards – in the categories of Cyber Security and HR. EDF Energy Pulse Awards promotes innovation and contributes to the developments of the future. The goal here is to showcase and provide tangible support to startups that are helping to shape that future.

The Blue Lab programme will run from January to April 2018. Applications for the Blue Lab Innovation Challenge 2017 are open now and will close on November 13. Apply now!

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Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr is the "Editor in Chief" of EU-Startups.com and started the blog in October 2010. He is excited about Europe's future, passionate about new business ideas and lives in Barcelona (Spain).
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