What is the project?
The project will work across priority business sectors to improve their performance by better exploiting the specific market demand for mainstream (rather than niche/specialist) products and services, which have reduced/minimal environmental impact by virtue of their design, raw materials, manufacture, use, application, reuse and disposal. The project will have four clearly defined phases.
Phase 1 will involve the recruitment of businesses by establishing strong working relationships with ENWORKS (through the Resource Efficiencies in Priority Sectors project being taken forward separately), MAS, Business Link Northwest and Envirolink Northwest.
Phase 2 will involve an initial review to establish the appropriateness of an eco-innovative approach for a specific business. A partnership will be established with Business Link, MAS and ENWORKS to provide for a holistic diagnostic to be developed.
Phase 3 will form a significant proportion of the intervention and focus on mentoring beneficiary companies in the development of a specific project adopting an eco-innovative approach. This phase will also be led by the Resource Efficiency Knowledge Transfer Network (managed by C-Tech Innovation) and have five specific stages: ideas selection; evaluation; validation; design, development and testing; and planning.
Phase 4 will focus on execution of the planned innovation and will consist of one or more of the following three activities: applied research and development; development of new, sustainable design and manufacturing approaches; and new venture creation and incubation. Phase 4 will be led by Lancaster University. Where appropriate, this phase will also consider the use of expertise from other higher education institutions and expertise elsewhere in the UK accessed via the resource efficiency and environmental knowledge transfer networks.
What is its purpose?
To support the continued emergence of the Northwest as an internationally competitive region for the development of sustainable products and services.
How much funding has it received from ERDF?
£1.7 million
How much funding has it received from other funding partners?
£1.7 million from all other project partners
Who applied for this project?
Lancaster University.
Who can I contact to find out more?
Dr Mark Bacon
How can I contact them?
m.a.bacon@lancaster.ac.uk