03 June 2025

Open Innovation Challenge 2025: People First

We are seeking breakthrough innovations in the field of people-centric solutions, with a focus on areas such as knowledge transfer, cultural changes, safety enhancements, and wellbeing and health.

Who is Elia Group?

Elia Group owns two transmission system operators (TSOs): Elia Transmission Belgium (ETB) and 50Hertz in the north and east of Germany. Together, ETB and 50Hertz own and operate their high-voltage grids, ensuring that the production and consumption of electricity are balanced around the clock, and supplying 30 million end users with electricity. We at Elia Group therefore act in the interest of society by providing it with a robust power grid and driving the energy transition: we are working on establishing a reliable, sustainable and affordable energy system.

Open Innovation Challenge 2025

Elia Group is proud to announce the 2025 edition of its annual Open Innovation Challenge (OIC) - a competition designed to stimulate fresh thinking and foster innovation in areas that are essential to our mission. This year, we are placing people at the heart of our transformation journey. Under the slogan ‘People First’, the OIC 2025 invites start-ups, SMEs, and innovative teams from around the world to help us develop solutions that enhance the experience, safety, and development of our workforce as we 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. Our employees are central to everything we do. In a rapidly evolving work environment, we 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:

1. Knowledge Management
We are looking for innovative approaches to capture, share, and leverage knowledge across the organisation. Solutions should help us to, for example:

Streamline onboarding and offboarding processes

Provide continuous learning opportunities

Enhance knowledge sharing through intuitive platforms

Ensure seamless access to critical information

Build effective mentoring networks
2. Cultural Change
Elia Group is evolving, and with that comes the need to adapt to our organisational culture. We seek ideas that will, for example:

Support the development and measurement of cultural initiatives

Foster active leadership participation in culture change

Promote inclusive and sustainable workplace values

Encourage engagement through gamification and other interactive methods
3. Security Awareness and Behaviour
Cybersecurity and insider threat awareness are becoming increasingly important. For example, we aim to:

Improve employee resilience against phishing and social engineering

Use gamified and behavioural learning to reinforce best practices

Create champion programmes to spread awareness internally

Foster a proactive culture of digital responsibility
4. Safety and Wellbeing
We are committed to supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of our teams. Innovative proposals could address, for example:

Behavioural safety around high-voltage infrastructure

Initiatives to embed a culture of safety and wellbeing

Tools and solutions that support wellbeing and emotional resilience

Holistic approaches to physical and psychological health

Elia Group launched the Open Innovation Challenge to identify and partner up with innovative companies that can help it to address its business challenges. After last year’s OIC, which was focused on the delivery of infrastructure, Elia Group pursued proofs of concept with three start-ups that took part in the challenge; it is currently exploring the possibility of undertaking further proofs of concept with two other start-ups that also took part.

Teams interested in taking part in this year’s challenge have to submit their projects for consideration by 24 July 2025. The applications received will then be shortlisted by the OIC judges. These teams will receive support from Elia Group experts to help them further refine their proposals. Up to five teams will then be invited to take part in the challenge final, where they will pitch their improved solutions to the OIC judges.

FAQ

Who is eligible to apply for the OIC 2025?

Any established company or start-up is welcome to apply.
What are the next steps?

Entries for Round 1 of the OIC 2025 will open on 12 June and will run until 24 July. Please 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.
What is the prize?

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).
Want to find out more?

Ambivation is our official partner for this challenge. Please contact them by sending an email to EliaGroup-OIC2025@ambivation.com.