Businesses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire can now access funded support to enable them to innovate and collaborate with The University of Nottingham as the result of a new programme supported by the European Regional Development Fund.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to benefit from a £3m package of support for energy related projects over the next three years.
A dedicated ‘Energy Innovation and Collaboration’ team has been established by the University to help businesses accelerate energy innovations into the market, adopt low-carbon technologies and to facilitate the move to a more distributed sustainable energy system.
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are set to benefit from a £3m package of support for energy related projects over the next three years. Companies can receive support to access expertise and facilities that will enable them to bring new products to market. In addition to achieving measurable benefits for businesses, the project also aims to deliver an overall reduction in carbon emissions for the region.
Based in the Energy Technologies Research Institute (ETRI) at The University of Nottingham, the new team will help businesses to forge links with world-class academics, researchers and graduate talent in the energy field; while close links to the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA), will allow unprecedented access to the best energy research expertise and facilities across the Midlands.
Colette McHugh Putman, Project Manager of the new initiative, said “I’m looking forward to building relationships between local businesses and the University and am thrilled that the new team have this opportunity to make a positive impact, both for the economy and the environment.”
The University of Nottingham is a leading international centre for energy research, with a reputation for excellence across a broad range of technologies encompassing bioenergy, fossil energy, energy storage, the built environment and smart grids.
Professor Gavin Walker, Director of ETRI, commented: “This new investment will help support local businesses in their efforts to innovate and deliver the solutions needed for a low-carbon future. It also shows the commitment of the University to support SMEs and we are all looking forward to working with businesses over the coming years.”
Dan King, Head of Local and Business Partnerships at the University, added: “The energy technologies initiative is part of a wider landscape of support that we are able to offer to local businesses across a diverse range of industries, enabling them to benefit from university expertise, facilities and student internships. We are always keen to hear from any businesses that want to work together with us to exploit and market innovative ideas.”
European Regional Development Fund
The ETC6 project is receiving up to £1.6m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
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