National Grid and UK universities partner to accelerate electricity network innovation
National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) has strengthened its collaboration with leading UK universities, forming innovation partnerships with ten academic institutions to help deliver a more efficient, affordable and resilient electricity network and support the clean energy transition.
Through its innovation programme, the partnerships bring world‑class research and specialist expertise directly into NGET’s innovation portfolio, accelerating the development of practical solutions to address some of the most complex technical, operational and system‑wide challenges involved in building and operating the future electricity transmission network.
The partnerships, which cover the five-year period of the RIIO-T3 price control from 2026-2031, will provide access to cutting‑edge research, advanced capability and fresh thinking, spanning advanced engineering, digital technologies, whole‑system planning and sustainability.
RIIO-T3 represents a step change in how NGET must deliver – faster, more efficiently and more sustainably, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and resilience. With up to £31 billion of investment between 2026 and 2031, it will enable the connection of 35GW of new generation and storage, and 19GVA of demand.
Under the framework, academic partners will work alongside NGET innovation engineers and project teams to help turn research into deployable solutions, accelerate innovation at scale and embed new approaches into business‑as‑usual delivery. The flexible model also allows NGET to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities as RIIO‑T3 progresses.
The ten academic institutions partnered with NGET are:
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- Cardiff University
- University of Edinburgh
- University of Exeter
- University of Liverpool
- University of Manchester
- University of Southampton
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Warwick
The partnerships will help to develop and deliver projects in the following areas:
- Power electronics applications, including technologies that support increased capacity, controllability, stability and resilience of the electricity system.
- Accelerating NGET’s digital transformation through research and deployment
- Energy system decarbonisation and low‑emission technologies
As part of its wider academic collaboration, NGET has also joined with a Norwegian research institute, one of Europe’s largest independent research organisations operating at the interface of academia and industry. Through the ClampIT project, the institute is using sensors, advanced modelling and a digital‑twin approach to monitor transformer clamping pressure as assets age – supporting improved resilience, reduced failures and extended transformer lifespans.
NGET’s £140,000 investment in the project is being leveraged into around £1.6 million of research output through collaboration with multiple partners, demonstrating the value of this collaborative innovation model.
The partnerships build on NGET’s existing work with universities, including Strategic Innovation Fund projects such as PROMUPS, which is developing new probabilistic modelling approaches to network planning, as well as collaboration with the University of Manchester to develop an SF6‑free retrofill solution aimed at replacing high‑carbon insulating gases in existing transmission equipment without the need for full asset replacement.
Neil McClymont, Head of Innovation at National Grid Electricity Transmission, said:
“Working closely with universities across the UK is a vital part of how we turn new ideas into real‑world solutions for the electricity network. By expanding the range of academic partners we collaborate with, we’re able to draw on a wider pool of expertise and accelerate the development of innovative technologies and approaches that help keep the network safe, resilient and affordable for the long term.”
Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL, at Universities UK, said:
“Energy security and the transition to clean power are among the biggest challenges of our time and this announcement demonstrates the critical role universities have to play through their research and innovation.
“Our recently announced ambition to double private sector investment into university spinouts demonstrates how universities are committed to going further in supporting the innovations that bigger firms like National Grid Electricity Transmission rely on.”