The Manchester Prize is an initiative of the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Established in 2023, the Prize represents a decade-long commitment by government to support cutting edge innovations which use AI for the public good and tackle some of society’s biggest shared challenges.

Manchester Prize: round 2

The second Manchester Prize will focus on AI for Clean Energy Systems.

Up to 10 finalist teams will receive:

• £100,000 each
• a generous package of non-financial support
• £60,000 in compute credit to develop their innovations

One finalist team will win the £1 million grand prize in early 2026.

Round 2: how to enter

Round 2: the challenge statement

The second Manchester Prize will be awarded to the most innovative and impactful AI solution enabling the UK to accelerate progress towards a net zero energy system.

Solutions should demonstrate use of AI that:

• accelerates the UK’s adoption of clean energy technologies at scale;
• enable efficient or low-cost operations of clean energy systems;
• and/or significantly reduce energy demand or optimise energy usage.

The winning solution will demonstrate not only technical innovation but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption and scale.

Solutions could include:

• predicting supply and demand to support smart load management in the grid, allowing for better integration of renewables while minimising transmission constraints
• optimising energy consumption in commercial spaces, for example, through semi-autonomous control of data centres
• maximising renewable energy capture and storage, by leveraging AI to discover new materials and design superior solar panels and wind turbines
• ensuring a stable and resilient energy supply, and easing grid stress, by using AI to optimise and coordinate local energy assets, such as heat pumps and batteries
• accelerating energy infrastructure projects while minimising environmental and societal impact through AI solutions that support feasibility studies or site plan development
• empowering people in their energy transition with solutions that provide AI-powered insights, and tailored interventions and support

We encourage solutions that demonstrate advances in technical capabilities such as:

• generalisation
• uncertainty quantification
• interpretability
• data-efficient
• AI
• physics-based AI

Winners will be judged according to the criteria of innovation, impact, long-term viability, feasibility, and safety ethics, and sustainability.

Round 1one

RoundThe 1first of the Manchester PrizePrize, ranthat runs from December 2023 to March 2025.2025, It sought innovation from UK-led teams with breakthrough ideas for overcoming challenges in the fields of energy, environment and infrastructure.

DetailsRound ofone Roundfinalists 1were winnerannounced on 21 May 2024, and finaliststhe can£1 million winner will be foundannounced here.in April 2025.