The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) intends to procure an external provider to deliver Acceleration Support services alongside the Heat Pump Ready (HPR) – Round 2: Innovation Funding Competition (a grant funding programme). This notice is published to inform the market of DESNZ’s intentions and to support preliminary market engagement; it does not constitute a commitment to proceed with a procurement. The Innovation Funding Competition is an innovation programme providing grant funding to support research and development projects that address key barriers to the deployment of heat pumps, with the aim of supporting innovations to progress towards market entry by 2030. Acceleration Support will be delivered in parallel with grant‑funded activity by an external provider and is intended to help projects address barriers to market entry that may not be overcome through grant funding alone. The support is expected to cover areas including commercialisation, collaboration, dissemination and social value. To manage conflicts of interest and ensure fair competition, the appointed Acceleration Support provider, and any organisations involved in delivering these services will not be eligible to apply for, or participate in, the Heat Pump Ready Innovation Funding Competition or future independent evaluation contract