DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS ENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL STRATEGY

Their core work

The UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was the government body responsible for shaping national energy policy, industrial strategy, and decarbonisation targets. Within H2020, BEIS acted as a funding coordinator for ERA-NET Cofund actions — pooling national research budgets with European partners to co-finance demonstration projects in offshore wind, bioenergy, and carbon capture and storage. Their role was not as a research performer but as a policy-driven programme manager, directing public funds toward pre-commercial energy technologies that align with UK decarbonisation goals.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

BEIS entered H2020 with a strong focus on offshore wind — the DemoWind projects (2015-2016) centred on cost reduction and technology acceleration in this maturing sector. By 2016, their scope broadened into bioenergy demonstrators (BESTF3) and carbon capture and storage (ACT), signalling a shift toward harder-to-decarbonise energy vectors. This trajectory mirrors the UK's evolving climate policy, moving from established renewables toward the full spectrum of low-carbon energy technologies.

BEIS moved from established renewable energy (offshore wind) toward deeper decarbonisation challenges like CCS and bioenergy, suggesting future interest in hard-to-abate sectors and negative emissions technologies.

How they like to work

BEIS overwhelmingly operates as a consortium leader, coordinating 3 out of 4 projects. As an ERA-NET Cofund coordinator, their role is programme management rather than research execution — they bring national funding commitments, organise joint calls, and manage cross-border collaboration frameworks. With 23 unique partners across 16 countries, they function as a high-connectivity hub, making them a valuable entry point for organisations seeking access to UK energy research funding and European co-financing networks.

Broad European network spanning 23 partners across 16 countries, reflecting the multi-national nature of ERA-NET Cofund actions that pool funding agencies from across Europe. Geographic reach is pan-European rather than concentrated in any single region.

What sets them apart

BEIS is not a research performer — it is a national government funding body that coordinated ERA-NET Cofund programmes, meaning it controlled the purse strings for transnational energy research calls. For any organisation that wanted access to UK co-funded demonstration opportunities in energy, BEIS was the gatekeeper. Note: BEIS was dissolved in 2023 and its functions split across successor departments (DESNZ for energy, DBT for business), so the entity listed here is historical.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DemoWind
  Largest single project (EUR 2.8M EC contribution) and the flagship offshore wind ERA-NET that BEIS built its H2020 coordination track record on.
• ACT
  The only project where BEIS participated rather than coordinated, and the largest CCS-focused ERA-NET Cofund in H2020 with EUR 2.5M EC funding.