Northwest SMEs to get £3m of ‘eco innovation’ support

The Eco Innovation Programme, which is being officially launched later this month in Manchester, aims to go beyond the greening of businesses to actually creating new products for businesses to sell that will benefit both the environment and company growth.

Designed by Lancaster University the programme will focus on providing research and development expertise to SMEs to help them innovate in a wide range of sectors, including aerospace and biomedicine, digital and creative and food and drink.

“Lancaster University is home to one of the largest centres for environmental research in Europe,” said Dr Mark Bacon, director of Enterprise and Business Partnerships at the Lancaster Environment Centre. “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.”

Eco Innovation is being backed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the Northwest European Regional Development Fund, with £1.5 million and £1.7 million of funding respectively.

Over the three years it will run, it is estimated Eco Innovation will help 480 SMEs and create 240 new environmental products, saving 12,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. It is also expected to create 107 jobs and safeguard 373.

Commenting on the scheme, 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.”

The programme is being delivered by Lancaster University in partnership with C-Tech Innovation Ltd, an international innovation management and technology development company.

It will be launched on October 22 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.