The University of Nottingham is encouraging businesses to take advantage of new funding which is aimed at bringing new and innovative energy efficient products to market.
A £10 million fund has been made available by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) for small and medium size businesses which work in the areas of energy efficiency, building technologies, power generation and energy storage.
Reducing bills and carbon emissions
Projects which result in decreasing carbon emissions, producing energy from waste and reducing and the costs of consumer bills are amongst those eligible to apply for a share of the funding from the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.
One of the ways that the University is able to help businesses take advantage of the funding is by providing access to state-of-the-art research facilities at its Energy Technologies Building.
Businesses can utilise assets such as the Climate Chamber, to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of buildings by studying the effects of different temperatures on materials. The chamber also enables the impact of accelerated weathering on walls and other components to be assessed.
Other facilities offered by the Energy Technologies Building at The University of Nottingham include a Flexible Electrical Laboratory, which investigates the use of renewable energy resources in electrical systems.
Technologies to test consumer and industrial products
Research into solar power is possible on the roof-top testing area at the Energy Technologies Building, while a double height combustion laboratory and a fuel preparation laboratory offer opportunities to explore carbon capture technologies. For larger scale projects, a 400m2 prototyping hall is available and the University is also able to test out consumer products in its Creative Energy Homes.
Speaking about the new funding, Melanie Watts, Project Manager at the Energy Technologies Building, said: “The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund offers a unique opportunity for businesses of all sizes to access funding to develop exciting new innovations. Through our facilities and expertise we are able to support businesses with research into technologies which can reduce energy costs or carbon emissions and I would encourage businesses to contact us to find out how we can help them.”
The closing date for expressions of interest for the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund, phase 3, is Monday 17th February. For more details about the fund, visit www.gov.uk
For information about the support that The University of Nottingham can offer for energy technologies, contact Melanie Watts: melanie.watts@nottingham.ac.uk or 0115 846 7668.
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More information is available from Nick King, Marketing Projects Manager, Business Engagement and Innovation Services, University of Nottingham, +44 (0)115 823 2184, nicholas.king@nottingham.ac.uk, or Jo Murphy, Ingenuity Plus Project Manager on jo.murphy@nottingham.ac.uk, or phone +44(0)115 74 84782
Photo shows: Some of the Creative Energy Homes on The University of Nottingham campus, where new, energy saving technologies are being tested.
Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 42,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World's Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fundraising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future.