As part of the UK Government’s £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) the Carbon Trust will lead a consortium delivering acceleration support to up to 200 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Support will include business development advice, practical workshops, peer-to-peer learning and access to stakeholder and investor networks. This will help these innovative companies make the most of the funding provided by NZIP and enable them to commercialise at speed and scale.
In leading the design and delivery of the Zero Innovation Portfolio Acceleration Support, the Carbon Trust is joined by an expert consortium of partners: Energy Systems Catapult, Eigen Ventures, Mott Macdonald and KPMG. Specialist support will also be provided by clean tech investor Sustainable Ventures, technical consultancy E4tech, product development specialists High Value Manufacturing Catapult, international patent and trademark consultancy Novagraaf, marketing and communications experts Greenhouse and legal specialist dwf.
Acceleration support complements technology development and demonstration funding by catalysing impact and helping businesses to prepare to scale. The package developed by the consortium is tailored, flexible, and agile. It has been designed to secure customers and catalyse the funding and partnerships necessary to help businesses grow and develop the clean technology solutions vital to meeting the UK’s net zero commitments.
David Aitken, Director Innovation, the Carbon Trust:
“We know funding and the existence of promising technologies alone are not enough to move at the speed and scale needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The new Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Acceleration Support will enable access to the customers, cash and collaborations that are critical to moving beyond business as usual and to unlocking the full potential of clean technology innovators across the UK.”
The breadth of innovation finance and acceleration support services offered by NZIP positions the UK at the forefront of the clean energy transition internationally, supporting decarbonisation targets and demonstrating the UK government’s desire to support innovative clean ideas, especially from SMEs.
