Elia Group Research Challenge 2.0

Why do we launch the Research Challenge?

The transformation of the power system is driving unprecedented complexity in system operations. As an answer to this, and following the positive experience and valuable insights gained from the first edition of the Research Challenge, System Operations at Elia Group is launching a new round to further strengthen collaboration between system operators and the research community.

This year's topics address key challenges for the future of power system operation, including real-time congestion and voltage management, operational assessment of converter-based assets, network-aware flexibility control, and high-performance power system analytics.

Our goal is to accelerate the path from scientific innovation to operational application. By bringing together researchers and power system practitioners in an agile collaboration framework, we aim to develop solutions that not only advance the state of the art, but also deliver tangible value for future system operations.

Learn more about the first edition of the Research Challenge and explore the key results that laid the foundation for its relaunch.

Focus areas and research questions

1. Real-Time Optimal Power Flow for Congestion Management
   Which methods are suitable for continuous, optimized remediation of current and voltage limit violations in real-time operation?
2. Operational Conformity Monitoring and Evidence-Based Evaluation of Converter-Based Systems
   How can operational data be used to assess dynamic voltage support during a voltage dip?
3. Implicit Control under Network Constraints
   a.  How can voltage limits and current-carrying capacity be taken into account in an implicit control system?
   b.  (in addition to a, optional) Demonstration in a test grid 
4. Fast Load Flow Solvers for Operational Applications
   Can Embedding Load Flow Methods (ELM) and modern parallelization concepts provide a robust and computationally efficient alternative to existing power flow calculation methods?
5. Alternative to Map-Elites for Topology Optimization
   Can alternative optimization approaches outperform the current MAPElites-based optimization framework used in Transmission Outage Planning (ToOp) while remaining fully compatible with existing workflows and scoring functions?
6. Establishing the Rate of Change of Voltage (RoCoV) as an Operational Security Limit
   Can RoCoV become the security indicator linking voltage behaviour, reactive-power capability and operational decisions?

What do I need to apply?

Please provide the following information in a PDF-document (max. 8 pages), and optionally in a short video (max. 10 minutes):

Who

• Clear description of expertise (past and current work) of the institution and researcher/experts, that is relevant to the research question they are applying for. If relevant a link to a list of references of industrial projects related to the topics of this request.
• You will also need to share the CV’s of the team/researcher who will work on the challenge.

Why

• The motivation to participate in the research challenge (max. 400 words).

What

• High level plan/roadmap with expected milestones and potential final results.
• Organization of resources in form of a project organization structure / organigram with a project manager / team lead/ Researcher / Other
• A financial offer: Fixed rates related to roles and estimated workload in work days.

How

• Proposal of how to address the research question within 12-15 months including necessary information needed from the TSO
• Description of how work can contribute to the objectives and provide deliverables. This will include a description of the internal expertise/resources available (laboratories, spin-off, PhD, ...) and external partnerships if needed.

What is the benefit for you

• Support from experts of the TSO-side
• Working on real-life problems of the system operations at 50Hertz or Elia Transmission Belgium, supported by data from the TSO-side to validate your findings
• Financial funding
• Unique networking opportunities in the course of the events related to the challenge

Interested in participating? Registrations for the Research Challenge 2.0 will officially open in October 2026. If you would like to be notified for the launch, let us know via this form.

Participate

If you have questions about innovation at the Elia Group, please contact the Innovation team via [email protected]– further questions about the Research Challenge 2.0 you can direct towards [email protected].

Teaser of the last Research Challenge