05 October 2009
Support for Eco-innovation goes live
Over £3m to help place the region on the world stage for
sustainable innovation
Funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA)
(£1.5m) and the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
(£1.7m) the Northwest Eco-innovation Programme will help hundreds
of businesses exploit new market opportunities for more
environmentally sound products and services.
The Northwest Eco-innovation Programme will be launched on 22nd
October at 0900 – 1300 at the Museum of Science and Industry in
Manchester with key note speech from former TV’s DRAGONS DEN
INVESTOR RICHARD FARLEIGH on innovation as key to business
success.
The three-year support programme was designed by Lancaster
University and will be delivered in partnership with C-Tech
Innovation Ltd. It is the first of its kind in the UK and is
delivered under the ‘Improving your Resource Efficiency’ product,
part of the Government’s Solutions for Business portfolio.
It will provide one-to-one assistance to 480 Small and Medium
Sized Enterprises resulting in 240 new environmental products and
saving 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. In addition the programme
aims to create 107 jobs and safeguard 373.
Steven Broomhead, Chief Executive of the NWDA, said: “Businesses
in the Northwest can now access this unique support programme which
will work with them to exploit the demand for mainstream products
and services which have minimal environmental impact.”
Eco-innovation will help SME’s to bring about improvements in
products, processes or systems which benefit both the environment
and company growth. The project will go beyond the ‘greening’ of
existing businesses by aiming to ensure that the environmental
impact of products during manufacturing, use and disposal is
designed-out as far as possible. It sets out to support
businesses looking to seize the opportunities that have arisen from
the need to address the challenges of climate change.
The project seeks to support innovation in a wide range of sectors
from aerospace and biomedicine to digital/creative and food and
drink. Businesses will be given access to a wide range of
specialist support including Research and Development expertise
provided by Lancaster University’s Environment Centre and Lancaster
Product Development Unit.
Dr Mark Bacon, Director of Enterprise and Business Partnerships
at the Lancaster Environment Centre, said: “Eco-innovation knows no
bounds – from pioneering work with Waitrose on the environmental
impact of world food production to the next generation of low
carbon technologies’
“Lancaster University is home to one of the largest centres for
environmental research in Europe. Our business team can ensure that
research and development expertise of the very highest
international quality has real world impact very close to home in
England’s Northwest.”
To keep updated on the range of support being offered by the
NWDA go to www.nwda.co.uk/supportingbusiness
or for more information on business support visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest
For more information on business support or on the Northwest
Eco-innovation Programme contact Business Link Northwest or visit
www.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest
Ends
Notes to editors
• Businesses that participate in the programme will be
assigned their own Adviser who will conduct an initial
eco-innovation review. This will help identify areas of current
strengths and opportunity for the business to specialist assistance
for specific products and processes. A bespoke business proposal
will be developed in collaboration with the business, which will
include specific output targets that the business wishes to
achieve.
• The Adviser will initially work with the business to assist
with the implementation of the proposal.
• The second stage of support to the business will focus on
embedding the innovation process within the company and, where
necessary, working through a specific process identified by the
business as being of highest importance.
• Solutions for Business is the name for publicly funded
business support - offering a range of services and solutions to
meet real business needs. Solutions for Business brings together
and simplifies the range of support offered to businesses by
government departments, their agencies and local authorities in
England.
For further information please contact Neil Roscoe, Senior Press
Officer on 01925 400232 or mobile 07980 713282 or neil.roscoe@nwda.co.uk
For urgent out of hours press enquiries please call 01925
400259.
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) - Between 2007 and
2013 the Northwest of England will receive a total of £521million
(dependent on exchange rate) from the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF).
Managed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA),
this funding will enhance the competitiveness of the region’s
economy by supporting growth in employment and enterprise.
Key targets for the NWOP include:
• Creating 26,700 net additional jobs by 2015
• Generating £1.17bn additional annual GVA by 2015
• Supporting a 25% reduction in addition CO2 emissions
generated by the ERDF Programme.
For further information visit www.erdfnw.co.uk
The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) works to
deliver economic success in England’s Northwest by building the
competitiveness of its businesses, people and places. Utilising our
technical expertise and strategic influence, we help the region’s
250,000+ businesses to develop and grow, as well as supporting
international trade and encouraging inward investment.