European Funding in the East of England

[Low Carbon KEEP]

Are small to medium sized businesses in the East of England aware of the vast quantity of European Funding related to 'low carbon' available in the region? Or that all of the European money that has come into the region in the last few years has had some kind of 'low carbon' angle.

I work for the Low Carbon KEEP programme which is just one example of funding to support SME's transition to low carbon (details of all the programmes running in the region can be found on our website.)

So why is this important? Well if your business can get to grips with i) the low carbon agenda ii) applying for european funding you could be rolling in it!!!

[Merchant UK]

Are small to medium sized businesses in the East of England aware of the vast quantity of European Funding related to 'low carbon' available in the region? Or that all of the European money that has come into the region in the last few years has had some kind of 'low carbon' angle.

I work for the Low Carbon KEEP programme which is just one example of funding to support SME's transition to low carbon (details of all the programmes running in the region can be found on our website.)

So why is this important? Well if your business can get to grips with i) the low carbon agenda ii) applying for european funding you could be rolling in it!!!

I'm in the east of England, I may be able to get to grips, tell me more.... :eek:

[Low Carbon KEEP]

There are specific criteria that will apply to most schemes, the company must have less that 250 employees and less that 50million Euro turnover, this is the case for the Low Carbon KEEP scheme. There are also limits on the amount of funding you are allowed to receive, no more than 200,000 euro over 3 years.

Like many of the ‘low carbon’ related programmes in the region the Low Carbon KEEP programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the East of England Development Agency. This is because all ERDF money coming into the East of England has to be spent in the area of low carbon. The Low Carbon KEEP has grant funding to support the transfer of knowledge from universities to business in order to solve a business need, thus increasing the private sector’s capacity to commercially exploit academic research. These projects will require significant commitment from the company, but have the potential to make a dramatic impact on the organisation.

There are many more ‘lighter touch’ schemes that are a good place to start if it is you first foire into what low carbon means for your company. In most cases, as with LCKEEP, funding will cover 40% of costs however there are many schemes offering completely free support.

I’ve listed all the programmes I know of below, a good start is to find one that looks appropriate for you and go for it. Also, the St Johns Innovation Centre offer free workshops on accessing funding which are very useful and another great place to start.

Region wide schemes

Resource Efficiency East is a specialist provider of guidance and support on resource efficiency to small and medium sized enterprises in the East of England.

Sustainable Efficiency East (SEE) provides free services to help stimulate the growth of a low carbon, resource efficient economy across the Eastern Region.

Best East help all organisations in the construction supply chain be lean and green through collaboration with Constructing Excellence, BRE, CWC and Build the East.

REV ACTIVE provides direct, hands-on assistance for businesses to cut costs through utilities management and improved efficiency.

The Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF) makes early-stage equity investments into SMEs that are developing new and innovative products or processes in a low carbon, environmentally sensitive manner.

Sustainable Design-Led Innovation aims to help SMEs develop innovative low carbon products and services to reduce their carbon footprint across their life-cycle.

Small Business Research Initiative - East (Health Pilot) working specifically to help SMEs win more business from the NHS.

TakeITon offers free business IT support.

Low Carbon Development Initiative Programme is to overcome the early-stage development risks currently halting progress on delivering low carbon new housing and commercial developments

Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D) primarily aims to embed state-of-the-art design-led innovation practice, developed through research and industry collaboration, within business and education to improve commercial performance and develop future innovation leaders.

Local support schemes

Low Carbon Business Programme provides a co-ordiated programme of support to businesses across Thames Gateway South Essex including expert advice on greening businesses, identifying tailored carbon reduction solutions, small capital grants and apprenticeships.

Low Carbon Business Champions have a variety of free services available to businesses in Suffolk including audits, mentoring and grants.

Southend Eco Hub provide workspace units for young entrepreneurs in Southend to develop eco-efficient enterprises.

Business Smiles provide advice to businesses in Suffolk and Hertfordshire on how to reduce businesses' use of cars, vans and lorries.
Other beneficiaries of funding through ERDF

Innovation in Crops (InCrops) develop the commercial potential of innovative crops

Offshore Algae Supply InfrastructureS (OASIS) is a pilot and test facilities in the East of England specifically supporting biofuel production from microalgae.

I cant post links so I suggest you Google the schemes you are interested on for more information