New green innovation fund to boost Bolton SMEs | The Bolton News

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Design in Design Innovation | 0 Comments

The £400k grant scheme is managed by Eco-I North West (NW), a £14m research and development programme which gives SMEs access to a regional knowledge base, cutting-edge research facilities and skills involving six of the region’s leading universities – Cumbria, Lancaster, Central Lancashire, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores and Manchester Metropolitan.

Andy Pickard, manager of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation, which delivers the Eco-I NW programme, said: “Eco-I NW opens up such a huge academic regional resource to SMEs.

“It offers the opportunity for the North West to create an ecosystem which accelerates our transition to a low carbon economy.

“This is a scheme which should allow businesses to access grants quickly and try new things.

“I would encourage leaders of SME enterprises in the North West to start a conversation with us about how Eco-I NW could help to reduce costs and their carbon footprint, improve performance, and future proof their business in a low carbon future.

“These grants will further support those already working with the universities, and expand the benefits Eco-I NW can offer to even more SMEs to bring to market even more sustainable products, processes or services.”

This is thought to help solve global challenges such as water supply and quality, waste, energy, resource efficiency, natural capital, air quality, and food security.

Since its launch two years ago, more than 100 enterprises, including 27 in Greater Manchester, have collaborated with universities to test their ideas.

These new grants will accelerate low carbon innovations from research to physical products, by match funding prototypes, pilots and demonstration systems.

Eco-I NW aims to work with more than 300 SMEs, supporting the development of 135 new innovative solutions, which will save 3,850 tonnes of CO2.

To find out more about the programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), visit www.lancaster.ac.uk/eco-i-nw/capital-grant-scheme/