Support for low carbon enterprises

Support is on offer for low carbon businesses to turn their ideas into reality, thanks to a new scheme from the Carbon Trust. 

The Carbon Trust Entrepreneurs Fast Track was launched today to accelerate the growth of Britain’s best start-up clean-tech companies, to help them become attractive investment propositions.

Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: “The UK has great entrepreneurial talent and many promising low carbon ideas.  But early-stage companies struggle to make the transition from concept to commercialisation owing to the high-risk nature of such ventures, and the associated difficulty in attracting financing and managerial talent.”

He continued: “The Entrepreneurs Fast Track aims to de-risk these ventures by advancing technology development and building a solid commercial foundation.”

The scheme will provide a customised package of research and development funding, expert advice and enhanced networking opportunities to the leading clean-tech ventures with the highest growth potential. 

More than 400 early stage clean-tech companies from across the UK were consulted on the programme, which has been welcomed by top business leaders. 

Sir James Dyson CBE described new technologies as vital for the long-term health of the economy.  He said: “Now is the time to act: we need to match a growing awareness of our environmental impact with British ingenuity.  This Carbon Trust scheme supports the UK’s most promising low carbon technologies by moving quickly to commercialise new ideas.”

© Crimson Business Ltd. 2010