Sustainability

The world is changing at an ever greater pace. Industry and innovators are responding, working together to create the products, services and businesses of the future. Innovate UK Business Connect is here to help.

We make the full range of diverse connections required to shape a more positive future: technology, design, supply chains, business models, behaviour change, systems change. We are committed to driving innovation that is sustainable – responsible, resilient and even regenerative.

Innovate UK Business Connect helps drive innovation that can reduce industry’s environmental footprint and improve resource efficiency, and also create benefits such as competitive advantage and enhanced value-add for the customer. By making the right connections – for instance to cutting edge knowledge & research, the best solution providers, and testing facilities.

We help innovators navigate the journey to market fruition. We make connections to the multitude of skills and assets required to bring any product or service to market. And of course the funding and finance that might be required.

Innovate UK Business Connect works extensively with stakeholders – from national and regional government to national and regional government, Catapults, clusters, trade associations, learned institutions, expert consultancies, think tanks and charities. We connect seemingly disparate stakeholders to shape a better innovation landscape, and multiply the impact that any one of these organisations could have alone. To help drive positive change.

To explore this topic further take a look at the Horizons tool.

Our current focus in this area

At Innovate UK Business Connect, we are helping to empower organisations in their journey to Net Zero.

As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, we are changing the demand profile on many materials. But at the same time, as the world population rises, resulting in an ever increasing demand for energy and products which puts increasing pressure on materials (and their supply chains), we are also generating more and more ‘waste’.

The Decarbonising Ports & Harbours Innovation Network’s overarching objective is to raise the profile of the critical part ports and harbours need to play in Maritime transport’s transition to net zero by 2050 and accelerate this transition by giving clear direction.

Governments across the globe are working and deploying plans to reduce carbon and particulate emissions to improve the environment for generations to come.

Connecting the UK’s growing Chemicals community with industrial collaborators, research-base expertise, investment opportunities and funders.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the offshore wind industry as a major contributor to the ORE Catapult innovation hub funded by BEIS, as well as supporting the companies who are making applications for funding for offshore renewables.

UKRI’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, is the largest and most ambitious UK government investment to date in sustainable plastics packaging research and innovation. The Challenge is underpinned by the delivery of the 2025 UK Plastics Pact targets. The SSPP Challenge’s ambition is to establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging for consumer products.

Innovate UK Business Connect supports the SuperSolar Network Plus with the Head of Infrastructure acting as Chair to the Network Industrial Advisory Group. Through this group, and programmes such as Energy Catalyst as described above, we are actively brokering B2B and B2A linkages.

Liquid fuels will be a requirement for long-haul air travel in the longer term and a requirement for short haul whilst new technologies such as electric and electric/hybrid are developed. Aviation contributes around 2-3% to global CO2 emissions; through the International Civil Aviation Organization, the industry is committed to carbon neutral growth from 2021.

The world is changing at an ever greater pace, and manufacturers are responding – improving the products they make and the way they make them. This enables reduced environmental footprint and improved resource efficiency, but also creates benefits such as competitive advantage and a closer alignment with the customer’s needs.

Related Opportunities

Contracts for Innovation: Clean Energy Demonstrators in Tanzania

Opens: 11/11/2024   Closes: 17/01/2025

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £1.8m to develop innovative clean energy demonstrators in Tanzania.

More Information

ARIA: Exploring Climate Cooling - full proposals

Opens: 08/11/2024   Closes: 09/12/2024

Backed by £56.8m, this programme will explore whether approaches designed to delay, or avert, climate tipping points could be feasible, scalable, and safe.

More Information

Launchpad: net zero industry, South West Wales – Rd 2 MFA

Opens: 04/11/2024   Closes: 11/12/2024

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million for projects that grow their innovation activities in the net zero industrial cluster in South West Wales. This funding is from Innovate UK.

More Information

European Space Agency: Maritime Ports Decarbonisation

Apply from 29/11/24: applications reviewed when received

ESA seeks to develop new services that support the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, with a focus on ports ecosystems.

More Information

India - UK Collaborative R&D for industrial sustainability Rd 2

Opens: 25/11/2024   Closes: 12/02/2025

UK registered organisations can collaborate with Indian businesses to apply for a share of up to £2m for innovative proposals.  

More Information

Launchpad: bio-based manufacturing, Scotland – Round 2 MFA

Opens: 04/11/2024   Closes: 11/12/2024

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £5.25m to grow their innovation activities in the bio-based manufacturing cluster in Scotland.

More Information

Related Events and Recordings

Mon
18
Nov
2024

Net Zero Living: Procuring for Net Zero

10.00 - 11.00 | Online

Watch now
Thu
17
Oct
2024

Net Zero Innovation for the Public Sector

13.00 - 14.30 | Online

Watch now
Thu
19
Sep
2024

Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference 2024 (GRIPS 2024)

09.00 - 16.30 | Sheffield / Online

Watch now
Thu
3
Oct
2024

Net Zero Heat Open Day

09.00 - 12.30 | Online

Watch now
See all events

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