Rob Saunders

Rob Saunders is challenge director for the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund programme, ‘Prospering from the Energy Revolution’. Halfway through its delivery, this aims to prove the future business models and local approaches that will put energy users and consumers at the heart of a cleaner, cheaper and more resilient energy system. Rob’s role is to ensure that the programme as a whole delivers its key objectives in the short term and unlocks the future benefits from smart local energy systems. EnergyREV plays a key role in delivering both the short and long term goals of the programme. Rob has a background in engineering, running major private sector innovation programmes and more recently delivering public innovation funding for energy at Innovate UK. Rob led the energy programme at Innovate UK prior to this role, helping UK businesses to grow as they develop new clean energy products. During that time Innovate UK supported hundreds of UK businesses, developed and launched the energy catalyst programme and set up two energy-focussed catapult centres; Offshore Renewable Energy in Glasgow & Blyth, and Energy Systems in Birmingham.