Last month, One Birdcage Walk was the venue for Cleantech Innovate: the largest cleantech innovation showcase of its kind in the UK. Forty British growth-oriented and venture-ready technology companies (selected from a field of 90 applicants) presented live to an audience of investors, corporate buyers, industry analysts, entrepreneurs and press.
The breadth of innovation was outstanding: companies presented in four key categories - energy generation and storage, built environment, multi-sector innovation and transport - the diversity of ideas clearly showing the leading role that the UK could play in this key growth sector if the right levels of support can be secured. Dr Tim Fox, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution described the event as: “A testament to British ingenuity.” Robert Hokin, Chief Executive at ecoConnect – the organiser of Cleantech Innovate - commented at the event that: “The UK could and should be a major power for green industry innovation. However, the majority of cutting-edge innovations in this country struggle to get seen, accepted and commercialised. We need to accelerate this.”
A key element of the day was the focus on the kind of practical support and industry-validation that emerging technologies need and which Cleantech Innovate is intended to highlight. In addition to the connections made with investors and corporates and the chance to spotlight their work to a wider audience, every presenting technology was given €11,000 of product design software by the event’s headline sponsor, Autodesk. A further 9 out of the 40 finalists were also eligible for a Climate KIC Award of €25,000 and six months incubation support with UCL which was awarded on the day to Rezatec, a company whose products and services could have a huge potential impact on global carbon measurement methods.
All the presentations from the 2013 can be viewed at: http://cleantechinnovate.com.
The Institution and ecoConnect will shortly be announcing Cleantech Innovate 2014 which will be held on Thursday 13 February 2014.
Applications for companies wishing to present at this event will open in June.
For more information, contact Catherine Hokin: tel +44 (0)870 803 3581; email: catherine.hokin@eco-connect.org.
For more information about Cleantech Innovate, please visit: http://www.cleantechinnovate.com/