Government invests £134 million into clean growth projects

November 4, 2020

The UK Government has invested £134 million into businesses to develop ground-breaking clean growth projects and create more jobs

1,069 ground-breaking clean growth projects will receive £134 million of government investment to develop new technologies, secure and create new jobs, drive productivity and tackle climate change.

The funding comes from Innovate UK’s Sustainable innovation Fund and will keep the UK’s greenest, most innovative businesses thriving during coronavirus pandemic. Each business will receive up to £175,000.

The projects will aim to reduce plastic and liquid waste, generate clean and renewable energy and help the UK reach its net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Examples include:

Rovco in Bristol – is developing unique technology allowing for autonomous underwater inspections of large offshore wind turbines.
KegTracker in Pontypridd, Wales – is aiming to reduce the amount of waste in the UK’s brewing industry by using artificial intelligence (AI) to turn kegs into ‘smart containers’ that will provide real-time data to accurately monitor the condition and contents of kegs as they travel from brewery to pub and back again.
Oceanium in Argyll, Scotland – is developing an advanced bio-refinery which will turn seaweed into food and compostable packaging products.
Robotiz3D in Manchester – is developing autonomous technology which will enable robots to be deployed to patrol UK roads to detect and repair cracks and potholes as soon as they appear.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“The UK’s response to coronavirus has demonstrated the very best of British ingenuity, and it is this resourcefulness that will help us navigate our way through this pandemic.

“Today’s investment will ensure that our innovators and risk-takers can continue to scale up their ideas, helping the UK to build back better and ensure we meet our clear commitments on tackling climate change.”

Executive Chair Innovate UK Dr Ian Campbell said:

“Yet again we see the exciting range of business innovation taking place across the United Kingdom, despite these difficult times.

“Every initiative we’ve supported here represents an important step forward in sustainable economic development, but also one step nearer dreams becoming reality for ambitious hard-working company owners and their staff.”