Local government and Innovate UK helping Northern Ireland businesses drive for net zero

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in Northern Ireland is boosting the transition of local industry towards a net zero economy, through a project building net zero understanding and capability across some of the region’s carbon-intensive businesses.

The challenges

The Mid and East Antrim region, which includes the towns of Ballymena, Carrickfergus and Larne, has a vibrant business community including manufacturing, logistics, pharma and energy. The local Council works closely with businesses in these sectors to support their growth and generate economic benefits for the area.
In 2022, the Council asked a network of key businesses what difficulties they faced in moving towards a low-carbon economy.
The most common challenges reported were capacity, capability and skills. Many needed support with decarbonisation planning, overcoming hurdles and preparing to report their progress in reducing their carbon emissions. For those early in the journey there were more basic questions: how to engage with the issues, understand what is possible, and learn from others.

Opportunity and aims

With strong business relationships, and its existing Manufacturing Task Force and Cleantech Collaborative Growth Network – two industry led collaboration initiatives – the Council saw an opportunity to take a convening role and help accelerate the progress of local industries.

So in 2023, with £300,000 of funding from Innovate UK through its Net Zero Living programme, the Council launched the two-year MEANZ Business project. Explaining its approach to tackling the challenges, the Council’s Net Zero Innovation and Delivery Manager Connor O’Dornan says:

“Our ambition was to significantly boost awareness and understanding of net zero issues among the local business community, help them learn about best practice, and inspire and support them to move rapidly towards decarbonisation.”

Project scope

The funding has enabled the Council to extend the work of the Cleantech Collaborative Growth Network and establish new programmes to help drive local business decarbonisation.

The project’s learning campaign has delivered a programme of Net Zero Insights webinars for local companies, led by experts working with Innovate UK – including Business in the Community, the Carbon Trust, City Science and Energy Saving Trust. The sessions explore core topics including energy efficiency, business decarbonisation and sustainable investment planning. The project team is also developing myth-busting animations, and video profiles to promote decarbonisation success stories in the region.

Field visits are a key part of the project, given the value of seeing innovation in action. In May 2024 the project saw net zero officers and key personnel from five Northern Ireland councils get together in Belfast City Council to share experiences and learn about climate action projects from across the region.

This was followed in October 2024 by a fact-finding visit to the Midlands for senior staff from local construction, manufacturing, logistics and energy companies. The group toured HyDeploy at Keele University, the UK’s first live pilot to inject hydrogen into a gas network for heating; visited mobile machinery manufacturer JCB to see how it is transforming its products and processes; and learnt about cutting-edge energy developments at the University of Birmingham’s Tyseley Energy Park.

Early impacts

The connections made are already bearing fruit. Local gas network operator Firmus Energy has been working with HyDeploy to understand how their model could be adapted to Northern Ireland, and some elements of the region’s HyTech NI hydrogen programme have been informed by the visit.

Connor O’Dornan says “one of the most valuable things was the networking. In-person connections enabled delegates to gain far more information and inspiration than they could get from a seminar or phone call and the cross-sectoral make-up of the group made for some great learning opportunities.”

To help translate learning into action, the MEANZ Business project has also launched a range of practical support for businesses, including development of an emissions reporting toolkit and helping companies to benchmark their net zero credentials.

Making sustainability a reality

“What we are trying to do is ambitious” says Connor. “It is not easy to make sustainability initiatives a reality, in the face of resistance to change and operational pressures. It takes concerted effort and engagement – but as a result we are already seeing tangible progress with companies in the region.

“The project is also raising the profile of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council as a net zero leader, helping to attract external investment for the future.”

About the funding programme

The MEANZ Business project is one of 25 ‘Fast Follower’ projects funded through the Net Zero Living programme. Over three years from 2023 to 2025, Innovate UK is investing around £60m in projects to help local authorities and businesses accelerate the transition to net zero, across the UK and internationally.

An important part of the programme is the strong learning community formed by the projects, including mentoring and advice from expert partners, and forums to share experiences and discuss what works.

The Net Zero Living programme is working to extend the knowledge and experience gained further, to all local authorities around the UK. With deep experience of partnering with local industry, the MEANZ Business project will provide valuable learning for other regions on the drive towards net zero.

For updates on the MEANZ Business project follow Connor O’Dornan on LinkedIn.

For wider information on the Innovate UK Net Zero Living programme, see the Net Zero Living programme pages and follow on LinkedIn.