Cleantech
Cleantech companies across the West Midlands are working with industry to change the planet’s future and help achieve zero-carbon goals.
Start-ups and established Cleantech SMEs can prosper by locating in the West Midlands because of our Accelerator Programs, R&D facilities, and supportive regional policies.
Cleantech companies will play a crucial role over the following decades, carving a path for our energy and manufacturing sectors to align with the UK net-zero strategy. In the West Midlands, our target is to be zero-carbon by 2041.
A single area of our region, the Black Country, is home to over 3,000 energy-intense manufacturing businesses and aims to deliver the world’s first zero-carbon industrial cluster. As such, there is a considerable opportunity for Cleantech firms in the region, who we actively welcome and support.
Net-Zero Opportunities
The 2041 zero-carbon target set by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is a commitment to bettering the planet. Cleantech companies will play a vital part in making this happen, so we have supportive policies that encourage and aid their investment in the West Midlands.
Via Energy Capital, the WMCA are trailblazing a partnership approach with the Government called the Net Zero Pathfinder. Through this, they seek to prove that empowered local authorities can better achieve low-carbon goals. The key focus of the trial is on promoting green incentives and risk aversion in specific geographic areas. For example, designating Energy Innovation Zones, or sharing risk across local green projects and partners.
This is supported by initiatives such as the West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge, through which companies are being encouraged and supported to decarbonise.
Local companies are making a change to be greener. Retrofitting and rebuilding are costly and impractical, creating a demand for new, innovative, and cost-effective Cleantech solutions. It’s made the perfect economy for our growing Cleantech cluster.
You can discover more Cleantech opportunities in the West Midlands by speaking to our local sector experts.
Cleantech research and development
The West Midlands is a hotspot for clean, low carbon and energy research. Our R&D centres enable companies to develop their products and services to adapt to the needs of a greener world.
With open-access facilities like the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre on their doorstep and the University of Warwick’s Energy Innovation Centre, companies located here are in one of the best positions to create the green tech of the future.
We are also home to Midlands Future Mobility and Pivot Power’s energy superhub. Each unlocks the region’s potential as a flagship of the green industrial revolution, generating an ethos in which Cleantech companies are in demand, and the opportunities in which they can thrive.
Incubator and accelerator programmes
Across the West Midlands, incubators and accelerators are helping companies reach their potential. While our accelerators speed up the growth of existing companies, incubators focus on the early-phase start-ups in the product development phase. Accelerator participation is positively associated with start-up survival, employee growth and funds raised.
Both programmes are important as they provide significant strategic support and promote Cleantech innovation across the West Midlands. The greatest benefits include direct funding, office space, lab space, access to technical equipment, access to partners, mentorship from experts and an introduction to customers.
You can find West Midlands incubators and accelerators or contact our sector expert to find out exactly which programmes in the West Midlands can help your company to succeed.
Cleantech success in the UK
The West Midlands Growth Company works with Cleantech businesses to help them invest in the UK and set up in the West Midlands. Our region has seen the quickest economic growth outside of London, with a huge emphasis on green, low carbon industry that makes it the perfect location for Cleantech companies of all sizes.
Our sector experts can help with:
- Property search and relocation services
- Business information and intelligence
- Funding routes
- Introductions to sector network connections
- PR and communications
- and much more
We have already helped many companies set up and find success in the West Midlands.
The Disposal Company
The Disposal Company, a Jaipur-based business have expanded into the West Midlands. They are India’s first automated plastic offsets platform. The team were looking to expand into the UK, and the West Midlands was the perfect choice.
Not only did the region’s ambitions to lead the green revolution create a fantastic ethos and drive that supported The Disposal Company’s business strategy, but the scaling start-up culture let them hit the ground running. Led by the West Midlands Growth Company, The Disposal Company were able to get a package of free support, including office space at Bruntwood SciTech Innovation Birmingham campus.
carbonTRACK
Similarly, the sector experts at the West Midlands Growth Company helped Australian-based firm CarbonTRACK to invest in the UK. As a centralised area for the UK energy sector, the West Midlands gave carbonTrack the perfect foothold to branch out into the rest of Europe.
West Midlands Growth Company offers our expert help for free. With an understanding of the local Cleantech industry, we have the ability to help you find funding routes, set you up with soft landing packages, and aid with Cleantech recruitment. Our sector experts offer a huge boost to those investing in the UK. You can find out how to export cleantech companies to the UK by contacting them now.
Free support services
We bring together a project team from relevant organisations across the region. This team includes property agents, recruitment consultants, public sector departments and universities. It delivers a comprehensive support package to quickly and easily help you establish and scale your business in the UK.
