ONS 2026 recap: turning energy ambition into funded impact

ONS 2026 brought the global energy community together in Stavanger for four days of conversations about the future of the sector. For us at PNO Innovation, it was an opportunity to go beyond visibility and create a space for dialogue around the questions that matter most to energy companies today:

1. How do we move from innovation ambition to deployment?
2. Where will the funding come from?
3. Which technologies are ready to scale?
4. And what needs to happen now to build the energy industry of 2035?

From our stand in Hall 4, we hosted a full programme of talks, expert sessions and closed-door breakfast discussions with senior voices from across the energy sector. Our focus was clear: public funding, innovation strategy, industrial decarbonisation, energy security, scale-up, carbon management and the partnerships needed to turn complex projects into reality.

A stand designed for conversations, not just visibility

At ONS, we wanted our stand to be more than a meeting point. We designed it as a content hub where visitors could join short expert sessions, speak with our team and explore how public funding can support energy innovation across Europe.

Throughout the week, we hosted discussions with companies, technology providers, policymakers, researchers, investors and industry experts. These conversations reflected a sector that is moving forward, but also one that is facing very real execution challenges.

The energy transition is not short of ideas. The harder question is how to finance, structure, de-risk and scale them.

Energy Innovation Talks at the PNO stand

Across the week, our stand programme covered a wide range of topics linked to the future of energy innovation and funding.

Day 1: innovation benchmarking, AI simulation and EU ETS

The first day at the PNO stand brought together three different but connected conversations.

We started with “Who’s pulling ahead in energy innovation”, exploring how leading energy companies compare in terms of public funding, funded projects, patents, technology priorities and innovation ecosystems through our ONS 2026 Funding & Innovation Benchmark.

The benchmark offers a data-driven view of how major energy players are positioning themselves across four segments: integrated energy, power utilities, energy infrastructure, and energy technology & engineering.

Download the benchmark here:

Later in the day, we looked at the role of AI-driven process simulation in helping companies move from long technical processes to faster, more informed decision-making. As energy systems become more complex, the ability to simulate, test and optimise in near real time can become a major advantage.

The day also included a session on the 2026 EU ETS review and what it could mean for industrial companies, carbon pricing and the business case for decarbonisation. The discussion showed how regulation is increasingly becoming not only a compliance issue, but also a strategic investment signal.

The next chapter in EU funding for energy

Future EU funding was also high on the agenda. In the session “The next chapter in EU funding for energy: What’s coming, and when”, we discussed where EU energy funding may be heading next and what companies can do now to prepare for upcoming programmes and policy shifts.

For companies in the energy sector, this is becoming increasingly strategic. Funding opportunities are not only about accessing grants; they are also a signal of where European priorities are moving, from industrial competitiveness and energy security to decarbonisation, infrastructure and scale-up.

Funding opportunities for energy scale-ups

For scale-ups, the conversation centred on one of the sector’s biggest challenges: moving from pilot to full-scale deployment.

Strong technology is not always enough. Energy scale-ups need the right funding route, credible partners, a clear business case and a project structure that public funders and private investors can trust.

The session “Funding opportunities for scale-ups in the energy sector” explored how companies can prepare better, identify the right funding instruments and build a stronger route from innovation to market.

Public-private collaboration as a transition enabler

We also welcomed Equinor for the session “A strategic approach to public-private partnerships for low carbon solutions: The case of Equinor.”

The energy transition cannot be delivered by individual companies acting alone. Many of the most important projects require collaboration across industry, public authorities, investors, technology providers and infrastructure players.

This is especially true for low-carbon solutions that require new value chains, new market models and long-term investment certainty.

Public funding can help bring the right actors together. But successful partnerships require more than funding. They need shared objectives, clear roles, strong governance and a realistic understanding of risk.

From fundable to bankable

One of the strongest themes of the week was the gap between projects that are “fundable” and projects that are truly “bankable”.

This was the focus of the session “From fundable to bankable projects: How to succeed in large-scale investments,” where industry and finance perspectives came together to explore what energy transition projects need in order to move forward.

A project may be aligned with public funding priorities and still struggle to attract investment. It may have a strong climate case but lack offtake, infrastructure, regulatory clarity or a credible route to market.

The conclusion was clear: companies need to design projects with both public funders and private investors in mind from the beginning.

Public funding can play a critical role in de-risking large-scale innovation. But it works best when it is connected to a wider strategy: market demand, industrial partnerships, policy alignment, financing structure and deployment pathway.

Closed-door breakfasts: shaping the energy industry of 2035

In addition to the open stand sessions, we hosted two invite-only breakfast discussions under the theme:

Shaping the energy industry of 2035: what steps do we need to take today?

The format was deliberately simple: no presentations, no panel and no formal speeches. Just a focused conversation before the exhibition floor opened, bringing together senior voices from across the energy sector.

The discussions were future-oriented. Rather than repeating another “state of the industry” conversation, we asked participants to look ahead:

What does success look like in 2035?
What should the industry start, stop, scale or accelerate today?
Where can collaboration create the biggest step change?
And what will differentiate the energy leaders of the next decade?

Several themes emerged.

First, there will be no single winning technology. The energy system of 2035 will require a combination of renewables, electrification, CCS, hydrogen, nuclear, storage, digitalisation, grid infrastructure, efficiency and local solutions.

Second, energy demand itself is becoming a strategic constraint. AI, data centres, industrial electrification, CCS and hydrogen all require energy. The transition will need more clean energy, not just cleaner energy.

Third, funding and regulation remain critical bottlenecks. Public funding programmes exist, but companies often struggle to connect them to real projects. Long timelines, complex applications, unclear incentives and missing market demand can slow down deployment.

Fourth, energy security has changed the conversation. Climate, competitiveness and resilience can no longer be treated as separate objectives. Europe needs an energy system that is low-carbon, affordable, secure and less exposed to external shocks.

Finally, collaboration is now a core capability. Many transition projects are too complex for one company to deliver alone. The strongest players will be those that can build the right ecosystems early and turn partnerships into executable projects.

What we learned at ONS 2026

Across all sessions and conversations, one message stood out:

The energy transition is no longer only about ambition. It is about execution.

Companies are asking more practical questions:

1. Which technologies should we prioritise?
2. Which funding programmes are relevant?
3. How do we build the right consortium?
4. How do we move from pilot to deployment?
5. How do we make a project attractive to funders and investors?
6. How do we respond to regulation, carbon pricing and energy security pressures?
7. How do we scale without losing sight of nature, resources and local impact?

These questions are exactly where we can help.

How PNO Innovation supports energy companies

We help companies identify, secure and manage public funding for innovation projects across Europe.

In the energy sector, we support organisations working on decarbonisation, industrial transformation, energy security, digitalisation, infrastructure, carbon management, climate technologies and scale-up.

Our role is not only to find funding opportunities. We help companies connect public funding with the wider innovation process.

That includes funding strategy, project shaping, funding-readiness assessment, consortium building, proposal development, EU and national grant applications, innovation benchmarking and grant management after approval.

The conversations at ONS reflected the challenge we work on with clients every day: how to move from innovation ambition to funded impact.

Download the ONS 2026 Funding & Innovation Benchmark

As part of ONS 2026, we prepared a dedicated benchmark comparing how leading energy companies perform across public funding, innovation activity, patents, technology priorities and ecosystem strength.

The benchmark is designed to help companies challenge their own innovation and funding strategy.

Download it here:
Download the ONS 2026 Funding & Innovation Benchmark

Watch the final aftermovie

To close the week, we brought together some of the main moments from the PNO Innovation stand at ONS 2026: the talks, the conversations, the breakfast sessions and the people who joined us throughout the event.

Watch the final aftermovie on LinkedIn: ONS 2026 final aftermovie

Let’s continue the conversation

The energy industry of 2035 will depend on the decisions being made now.

If your company is developing an innovation project, exploring public funding opportunities or trying to understand how to strengthen its position, we can help define the right route forward.

Talk to us about your funding strategy, innovation pipeline or next energy transition project.

Get in touch with our Energy team