Elia Group Open Innovation Challenge 2025

Applications are open for the Elia Group Open Innovation Challenge (OIC) 2025. The OIC is a competition designed to stimulate fresh thinking and foster innovation in areas that are essential to the Elia Group’s mission. This year, they are placing people at the heart of their transformation journey. Under the slogan ‘People First’, the OIC 2025 invites start-ups, SMEs, and innovative teams from around the world to help them develop solutions that enhance the experience, safety, and development of their workforce as they accelerate the energy transition.

As a key player in the European energy system, Elia Group understands that delivering a sustainable and reliable electricity supply is not just about infrastructure and technology – it’s about the people behind the operations who ensure the energy supply keeps flowing around the clock. Elia Group’s employees are central to everything they do. In a rapidly evolving work environment, they aim to equip them with the best tools to perform their crucial roles, while continuing to grow both professionally and personally.

This year’s challenge focuses on four priority areas in the Human Resources domain:

• Knowledge Management
• Cultural Change
• Security Awareness and Behaviour
• Safety and Wellbeing

Prizes of Elia Group

• The winning team will be given the opportunity to undertake a proof of concept worth up to €50,000 with support from Elia Group staff (either based at Elia in Belgium or 50Hertz in Germany).

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Eligibility for Elia Group

• Startups, SMEs, and innovative teams from around the world are welcome to apply.
• Solutions should fit one of the priority areas above.

Application

• Fill in the application form to participate. You will be asked to answer a few short questions and will be given the opportunity to submit a 3-slide deck that outlines your idea.
• Once the deadline for applications has passed, 10-15 proposals will be selected for Round 2 of the OIC. The companies involved will be assigned a business experts from Elia Group to help them shape their proposal and better understand our business and needs. This round will last from 1 September to 10 October.
• A few companies from Round 2 will then be shortlisted for Round 3, the final of the OIC 2025, which will be held on 4th of December in Brussels. The finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, which will be made up of Elia Group C-level executives and invited jury members from industry and venture ecosystems. At the end of the evening, a winner will be chosen.

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