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UTILITY WEEK | 22ND - 28TH APRIL 2016 | 27 Customers Column Strategic collaboration Innovation is essential in the customer-centric world of utility network provision. O ne of the aspects I enjoy most about my role as chief executive of Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is the opportunity to engage with and learn from market-leading organisations from outside the energy sector. I am very aware of the value that this can bring to us at NGN, as well as the wider industry. Sometimes it makes me recognise just how far we, as an industry, still lag behind in terms of innovation, but oen it makes me realise that our approach is more enlightened than we might think. A good example of this is the industry's partnership with the Energy Innovation Centre (EIC). I am still yet to come across another sector that shares the model of com- panies working together through an independent entity to drive collabo- rative innovation. This makes the EIC unique in a number of ways and as such, it is something the industry can be extremely proud of. Since I took up post as chairman of the EIC, I have been privileged to witness a step-change in its evolu- tion. Where once its purpose was to progress collaborative innovation in operational business improvement, the EIC has – over the past two years – challenged the status quo to use its collective power to raise its ambition by exploring a vision of collaborative strategic innovation. The EIC partnership and its collaborative model is a vital player in the transforming landscape that the gas and power distribution networks now operate within. The world is no longer shaped by industry needs, but by what our customers want, and we must adapt to this. Transitioning to this new customer-centric era requires us to build a future where energy innovation can flourish, and innovative technologies and services can be rapidly deployed. The EIC is integral to this but it cannot maintain the momentum it has created without support. The EIC has already begun its transition to the new world where the power of innovation lies in the power of synergy, and the opportunities it is opening up are hugely exciting. The challenge for industry lies in embracing these opportunities. Mark Horsley, chairman, Energy Innovation Centre, and chief executive, Northern Gas Networks The Energy Innovation Centre The EIC supports the UK's gas, electricity and renewables sec- tors by helping them to discover novel technologies and ideas that meet the challenges of the industry. The networks need to adapt and change in order to transition to the RIIO regulatory framework and a low carbon energy future. That's where the EIC comes in. Since its launch in 2008, the EIC has been connecting innova- tors with the energy networks to help enable the transformation required in the sector. The EIC helps its innovation community to attract support from the large energy network operators that can help propel their technolo- gies to the next stage. This not only creates opportunities for innovators but gives the energy networks access to innova- tive products that can benefit customers, the supply chain and industry. The EIC's collaborative model bridges the gap between an industry with a clear innova- tion ambition and over 1,500 innovators – many of them small and medium-sized businesses – with the technologies that can help develop this ambition into a reality. the right groups at the right time to get involved. Documents, maps, videos, plans and virtual tours can be published to invite dis- cussion, whilst automatic reporting makes it easy to evidence engagement to industry regulators. Cactus Industrial At Cactus Industrial, we understand the importance of achieving high standards of surface prepara- tion to ensure the longevity of any high performance industrial coatings and repair composites. Our mission is to identify innovative ideas and unique surface preparation tech- niques supported by leading composite and coatings solutions to overcome issues with corrosion and bring them to the attention of the industrial market. Open Grid Systems Open Grid Systems is a soware and engineering services company providing a variety of programmes to utili- ties, based around its Cimphony, GridView and Grid Reporter soware. Since its inception, the company has participated in data interoperability tests with its Cimphony suite of data management applications. Open Grid's mobile workforce tool, Grid- View, is a multi-platform application capable of storing fully detailed network models for offline access, as well as real-time overlays. Grid Reporter is a smartphone app providing customers with a way of reporting power outages and equipment damage via the camera on their phones. CNIguard CNIguard's Sensorcore technology is a smart sensor- ing platform with multi- purpose security and safety applications to monitor and protect critical infrastructure and key resources. The system has been designed, tested, and approved to deliver early warning of impending infrastructure failure, helping utilities to limit disruption to customers while ensuring the highest level of performance in the most hostile operating environments. "The EIC is unique in a number of ways and something the industry can be extremely proud of" Utility Week Live 2016 takes place 17-18 May 2016 at the NEC Birmingham. Book your free tickets today at www.utilityweeklive.co.uk